


House of Cards

by lightfighter08



Series: Fears of the Past, Demons of the Future [2]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, Vampire Hunter AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-21
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-10 11:02:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 39,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4389302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightfighter08/pseuds/lightfighter08
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Terrifying nightmares keep Carmilla up at night, taking a toll on her as she struggles to juggle her recent promotion to the head of her clan, her slowly developing relationship with Laura, and a revised treaty between the vampire clans and human hunter houses. The return of a beloved sister is a comfort, but as the visions continue the lines between dream and reality grow increasingly blurred. You can never really shed your demons, Carmilla learns - and that realization may ignite the tension between the clans and houses, burning away everything - and everyone - she loves with it.</p><p>Sequel to Blood & Steel</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The New Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the sequel to Blood & Steel, so if that name doesn't ring any bells you'll want to check out my works and read that first.

Carmilla opened her eyes, and found herself in a room that had become all too familiar: the coffin room in the dungeons of her estate. She knew she would be bound to the chair she was seated in, but tugged ineffectually all the same. Panic rose in her chest; how could this be happening again, she had freed herself from this, why – something stirred in the corner, and the panic turned to sheer dread. It was impossible, and yet Carmilla watched helplessly as Lilita Morgan swept into view, dressed in the same bloodstained gown she’d been wearing when Carmilla staked her to death.

And she wasn’t alone.

Behind Morgan came William, Carmilla’s traitorous brother. Carmilla stared in bewilderment; William was imprisoned, sentenced to a decades-long sentence for his part in Morgan’s plot, and yet here he was, free, while she was the one tied up. He was walking oddly, a shuffle, and it took a moment for Carmilla to realize that he was dragging something behind him. As soon as the realization hit the sickeningly familiar smell of blood filled the air, and Carmilla instinctively flinched, the metallic odor triggering only pain and fear for her.

Her mother smiled at her, the expression as unnerving as anything else that had happened thus far, and came closer. “Hello, dear.”

Carmilla simply looked at her for several seconds, shocked and scared into silence, before finding her voice with effort; when she spoke, it was tinged with audible hysteria. “Mother. You-you’re dead…I killed you!”

Her mother’s smile simply widened, and she gestured to William, who moved the shape he’d been dragging into view, tossing it carelessly at Carmilla’s feet.

Laura Hollis’ broken body lay unmoving before Carmilla, her throat slashed and her eyes staring unseeingly at the vampire.

Carmilla stared uncomprehendingly, perplexed. It didn’t make any sense; she had freed herself from this, things were supposed to be better now – long moments passed before she realized that the screaming she’d been hearing was her own.

Her mother stepped up to her, seemingly uncaring of the noise, and brushed her hand down Carmilla’s face. “Sweet girl, do you really think that my absence will change anything? That _you_ can change anything?”

Carmilla sat up with a sharp gasp, her heart pounding with terror. There was a muffled snort, followed by a not-so-muffled snort, and she looked around confusedly to see that she was sitting in a…diner booth? The muffled snickering she’d vaguely registered turned to outright laughter, and she looked across the table to see LaFontaine, the House Hollis scientist, and Kirsch, that buffoonish Hollis hunter, bent over in laughter; next to them, Perry, the hostage they’d rescued, watched them disapprovingly.

She felt a hand on her arm and turned to see Laura looking at her, a smile playing on her mouth. “Hey, Carm, sorry for the rude awakening. You kinda just knocked out in the middle of eating.”

"It was freaking amazing," Kirsch interjected, finally having gotten his laughter under control. "We were just watchin' and hoping you'd faceplant into your burger."

Carmilla just smiled at him, and if her canines were a bit more pronounced than usual no one felt the need to point it out. "Nope, but now that you mention it, I _am_ feeling pretty hungry..."

Kirsch's smile dropped and he hastily backpedaled, holding up his hands in protest. "Hey, hey, you promised to drop the vamp jokes!"

"I promised to drop the _jokes_. I never said anything about the threats."

Kirsch, speechless, looked to Laura beseechingly, only to see that the brunette was watching the exchange with great amusement, a smirk playing on her lips. "Sorry, Kirsch, you walked into that one."

He looked between the two of them, before finally sighing and slumping back against the booth in defeat. Satisfied, Carmilla looked to LaFontaine, the other guilty party. "And you?"

The scientist looked back, ever unflappable. "Hey, I've never seen a vampire sleep before. It was an incredibly funn- er, valuable research observation."

"Anything for science," Carmilla said dryly.

"You said it."

"But hey, Carm, are you okay?" Laura interjected, eager to forestall the inevitable banter. "I've never seen you fall asleep out of the blue like that."

"Well, it is two in the afternoon. I'd be asleep right now if you hadn't begged me to meet up with the dimwit squad," Carmilla replied testily.

"Hey!"

She tipped her head in acknowledgment. "Sorry, I meant you, and the dimwit squad."

Laura just looked at her, unmoved by the vampire's typical defensive tactics. "Carm..."

Carmilla sighed, as susceptible to Laura as ever. "And the negotiations. The constant meetings and debates have really been getting to me."

Perry, who had been watching the proceedings with varying amounts of disapproval and hidden amusement, spoke up for the first time. "Have you been getting enough sleep? I can recommend some excellent herbal teas, if you'd like?"

Carmilla smiled dryly. "Unless your teas can make incredibly boring meetings suddenly even vaguely interesting, I think I'll pass."

Perry frowned. "Well, my goodness, how boring can they be?"

Laura held back a sigh, feeling Carmilla's irritation. A more apt question would probably be, how much more tedious would they have to be before their attendants actually started expiring from sheer boredom. In the few meetings she'd sat in on, she'd counted five separate attendees dozing behind their binders; granted, they were among the older delegates, but she was sure they were only doing what everyone else wished they could do. It was, she reflected, rather ironic that such a momentous and history-making event could be so dull.

It was a striking change from the chaotic chain of events that had occurred six months prior, in which Laura and Carmilla had uncovered the conspiracy surrounding the death of Laura's mother and in the process, stopped Carmilla's mother, Lilita Morgan, from carrying out a plot that would have wiped out the leadership of the vampire clans and granted Morgan immense power, enabling her to act on her hatred of the human hunter houses and crush them once and for all. Stopping her had been a near thing; Carmilla had been found out and imprisoned, and Laura nearly died. The final encounter was only survived thanks to the aid of the group of hunters Carmilla had so ignominiously dubbed the dimwit squad (Laura assured them it was a term of affection; they weren't so sure).

After the dust had settled and the clans and houses' initial shock and outrage (and, in the case of Laura's father, rage and terror at Laura's near death, coupled with simmering suspicion of Carmilla, who was much too close to his daughter for his liking) had died down, attention inevitably shifted to accountability. Lilita Morgan was dead, and could not be brought to justice for her would-be crimes; her closest crony and sycophant, Carmilla's "brother" William, had been unceremoniously dumped into a dank dungeon cell and more or less told to get used to it, as he would be there for a very long time. And so all eyes had turned to Carmilla, the newly minted leader of Clan Karnstein. Her own torture and imprisonment at the hands of her mother cleared her of any culpability, and yet mistrust and anger towards the clan, who had so nearly destroyed everything, remained; she was now its leader, and so, fair or not, she was responsible for steering its fate.

Carmilla had seriously considered running, leaving the endless intrigue and politics of the clans behind for someone else to handle. It was only the fear of some incompetent taking her place and running the clan en masse straight to the staking grounds that had stayed her restless feet. That, and Laura. If she had been told a year ago that the heir to the local hunter house would help topple her mother, save her life, and capture her attentions and heart so fully in the process, she would have flatly informed them of the obviously dire gaps in their mental faculties, and instructed them to seek immediate help.

Life, it seemed, continued to contain surprises, even four centuries on.

So she stayed. After assuring the clans that Clan Karnstein had no more doomsday plots up its sleeve, involving mass sacrifices or otherwise, she moved onto the unenviable task of proving her worth as clan leader. Her ascension to the role was highly unorthodox, to say the least; these were, after all, clans made up of essentially immortal beings, and of the eight clans five had had the same leader since well before the signing of the Treaty eighty years ago. The other two changed leadership when the old leaders simply tired of the role and wished to do other things, and even then, there was always a carefully selected and groomed subordinate ready to take up the spot.

Clan Karnstein had no such mechanism in place. Morgan had had no plans to give up the role and the power that came with it; indeed, it seemed that instead she’d been actively working to not only permanently cement her power, but also to keep the members of her clan as ill-prepared as possible should something happen to her – a parting gift that, Carmilla thought sardonically, rather summed up her mother as a whole.   

So Carmilla had her work cut out for her, proving her credibility to the clans. The threat of dismantling the clan or removing her from power was very real, and Carmilla had had to talk fast to keep them from moving in and doing just that in the immediate aftermath. It was only when she made several promises – several _large_ promises – that they reconsidered.

In short, Carmilla had pledged to serve as chief negotiator with the hunter houses, who were understandably enraged at the plot that had been unfolding under their noses, one that not only seemed to clearly violate the Treaty but would have ultimately resulted in their annihilation. They demanded restitution, or else. And the clans took the threats seriously.

Much had changed for them in the past eighty years, and though they were certainly still vicious, predatory creatures that could put up a fight, they had grown complacent and lazy over the decades. As the need to rule with an iron fist – sowing fear and shedding blood when necessary to maintain that rule – diminished, turning instead to the equally potent, more modern rule of political and financial power, they had shed much of their warlike ways.

The hunter houses, to say the least, had not. While both the clans and houses and embraced the modern world and the changes it brought, the legacy of fear and violence that had sparked the creation of the houses remained, passed down from generation to generation; it was this fear that kept Laura patrolling the walls of the Hollis compound at dawn, that kept the training rooms and firing ranges of the houses fully booked. The hunters were as ready to fight now as they had ever been; in fact, with the furious investment in research into even more potent weapons against their vampire foes, they were perhaps even more deadly than ever before.

The clans knew all this, and, for the first time, were not so sure of their chances. Oh, they thought that they would eventually win when it came down to it, but there would heavy – unacceptably so – losses in the process. Better to turn to the negotiation table, at least at first.

That was where Carmilla came in. In return for acceptance of her leadership, she would parley with the houses and come to a mutually agreeable update to the Treaty, revised for the new age and reflective of the near-disaster that had just occurred. The clans, none of them too eager to spend such extensive periods of time with their foes, agreed, their only concession sending a representative each (all of them, Carmilla noted irritably, generally ancient and useless) to aid in the diplomacy.

This arrangement was communicated to the hunter houses, and after some internal debate, the answer came back: they were, to Carmilla’s pleasant surprise, agreed. Of course, the curveball quickly followed: the chief negotiator on the houses’ side would be none other William Hollis, the taciturn head of House Hollis and far from Carmilla’s biggest fan. Carmilla thought bitterly that he had probably volunteered for the role, all the better to stretch negotiations endlessly, both to punish her for her role in his daughter’s injury and to keep her away from Laura and in his sight for as long as possible.

And so Carmilla had spent the last six months in dreary monotony, heading each morning (yes, morning; the houses had stood firm on this point, pointedly eager to seize any advantage they could over their nemeses) to the mutually agreed upon neutral site in town to debate the latest piece of minutia presented by the houses. Every detail, no matter how small or ultimately pointless, was the source of a pitched debate, and Carmilla, never one for lengthy speeches, quickly tired of the discussion. Not helping matters was the constant stream of glares directed at her by William Hollis, who had early on cottoned on the fact that Carmilla and his daughter were much closer than any vampire and hunter ought to be.

Laura and Carmilla didn’t think that he knew _just_ how close they were – Laura was pretty sure she’d have been packed off to the most distant hunter house in Austria by now if he did – but they weren’t eager to give him any more ammunition, especially not when the fate of the Treaty and the increasingly tense ceasefire depended on his goodwill. So, though they didn’t like it, they agreed to stay as discrete and off-the-radar as possible, at least until the passage of the revised Treaty. After that…well, they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

Just when Carmilla thought that the hunters would succeed at something her mother had never been able to do – drive her truly insane –her negotiation hell finally, miraculously, seemed to develop an end date. Somehow, the day-in, day-out battles of the past months had finally resulted in some actual progress and agreements – the houses had new powers and protections against the excesses of the clans, while the clans had pledged to adopt more comprehensive accountability for when things did go south – and now, unbelievably, they had reached the final barrier to ratification: a historic, first-of-its-kind conference held by all eight of the clans and all six of the hunter houses, where after some final debate and negotiation the Treaty would be ratified.

The conference was to be convened in several days’ time; Carmilla would be more at ease, or at least, better well-rested, if it wasn’t for the recurring nightmares she’d been having whenever she did get the chance to get some rest. She didn’t know if it was repressed trauma from all that had happened coming to the fore, or just the stress and constant pressure of the negotiations, but either way, it was robbing her of some desperately needed recuperation. Unfortunately, she really didn’t have the time or energy to confront any repressed shock – she needed all her wits about her every day, lest Hollis try to sneak in yet another unacceptable provision into the Treaty. She just had to hold on for a bit longer, and then she could deal with whatever was stirring up her subconscious.

Carmilla jumped as a hand brushed her arm, and she looked beside her to see Laura staring at her worriedly. “Hey…where’d you go? You were totally zoned out.”

Carmilla looked across the table; Perry, LaFontaine, and Kirsch were chatting amongst themselves, oblivious to her momentary check-out. She looked back to Laura and forced a smile. “Like I said, all these negotiations are wearing me out. I’ll be okay.”

Laura examined her for a second before brightening. “I know the last couple of months have been exhausting, but we’re almost done! After the new treaty is ratified, everything will be different. For the clans, the houses…” She smiled a bit shyly. “For us.”

The sickening image of Laura’s sightless eyes and slashed throat flashed into Carmilla’s mind, and she had to abruptly choke down the bile in her throat before smiling weakly.

_Do you really think that my absence will change anything? That_ you _can change anything?_

“Yeah. It’ll all be different.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, welcome to the sequel to Blood & Steel! A reader on that fic hoped that season 2 would inspire me, and it seems that they were right! I wanted to revisit this world and have outlined this whole story, forecasting it to be about 11 chapters. 
> 
> House of Cards will be a bit more politically-oriented than Blood & Steel as the characters grapple with the inevitable changes caused by the end of Blood & Steel, but don't worry - Laura is still a stake-happy vampire hunter, and is guaranteed to be as ass-kicking as ever. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this opening chapter, and thanks for reading!


	2. Treating with the Enemy

"...then unless you have any further questions, Miss Karnstein? ...Miss Karnstein?"

Carmilla jolted out of her exhausted haze and turned back to William Hollis, who was watching her with a rather bemused expression. They were sitting in his study on the top floor of the Hollis compound; over the months Carmilla had grown used to both the staid walls of the building and the dark looks shot her way within it. 

House Hollis was still none too fond of the vampire who had apparently been waltzing in for weeks right under their noses to help Laura with her research; Carmilla herself had no great desire to keep coming, but the visits had been made necessary by her and Hollis' need to speak privately as chief negotiators of the deal. Frankly, Carmilla was so sick of her useless coterie of ancient diplomats she was quite happy to leave them out of it entirely whenever possible, if only to speed up the maddeningly slow process. As her zone-out had just shown, she wasn't sure just how much more this she could take.

She shook her head slightly, trying to assume some semblance of alertness. "Sorry, what was that?"

Hollis looked at her for a moment consideringly. He was a cold man even on good days; years of stress and loss had hardened him, and he had little kindness to spare for anyone but his daughter. The vampire who had almost caused him to lose that daughter - if indirectly - and now appeared by all accounts _close_ to her (in a way that he had never been able to, especially after the loss of her mother) didn't even rate. He had, however, limited the amount of outright hostility he showed her, in the countless weeks they'd been made to collaborate so closely, and sometimes even flashed a dry wit that Carmilla rather appreciated.

"I said, if you don't have any more questions, I think we've resolved everything we can," he said. "At least until the conference begins, of course." He smiled a bit ruefully. "Then I dare say we'll be back up to our necks with complaints from our respective sides."

She nodded. "Can't wait. Are there any last details about the conference I should know?"

"Well, you already know that delegations will be sent from every clan and house. They'll deliberate for a few days, giving the blowhards plenty of opportunity to hear their own voices, then if everything goes well, there'll be a feast to celebrate our newfound unity, and finally the ratification." He spread his hands. "Generations of enmity and fear, wiped away in a week."

"...Forgive me if I'm not overly convinced."

He shrugged, looking resigned. "Nor am I, Miss Karnstein. But we have to start somewhere."

On that, they both agreed, and having bid him farewell, she made her way to the main gates of the compound, relieved as ever to be leaving.

She'd barely gone a block from the compound before abruptly stiffening for a moment, then relaxing just as quickly. "Nice try, cupcake."

Laura emerged from around the corner, looking disgruntled. "How did you know I was there? That was a by-the-book shadow!"

"And it probably would've worked on a lot of vampires." Carmilla smirked. "But we've spent more than a little time together. I know when you're near."

"...Oh."

Carmilla took her in properly. The other girl was in her workout clothing, and still looked flushed. "Uh...Laura? Where does your dad think you are right now?"

"Kicking Danny's ass in the training rooms," Laura said brightly. "But she's covering for me, so we're good for at least an hour or so."

"Buttercup, as much as I like having you around, I don't know if this is such a great-"

"Carmilla," Laura interrupted, her voice very firm. "We haven't spent any time alone together in weeks, and it's not like we're even doing anything."

Carmilla sighed. "I know. But your dad has it out for me as it is. I just don't want to jeopardize anything."

"Okay, Dad may not be your biggest fan, but he's not going to destroy all the work you two have accomplished just because of that," Laura said confidently. 

Carmilla wasn't so sure, but had enough sense not to voice the opinion.

After some deliberation, the two decided to head to Woodrow Park, the place where Carmilla had first voiced her suspicions about her mother to Laura, and then been summarily impressed by the girl's sound take-down of her brother, who had felt the need to invite himself to their rendezvous. Despite all that had happened since, the park remained a favorite spot of theirs, with the added benefit of providing a neutral space for them to hang out outside of either the Hollis compound or the Karnstein estate.

The park was as bright and cheery as it always seemed to be, and Carmilla felt herself relaxing for the first time in what seemed like weeks. Maybe Laura was right, a little more down time _would_ be good for her...

They sat away from the main crowds, in the copse of trees where they had unceremoniously covered William with leaves after the aforementioned ass-kicking. Needless to say, it was their favorite spot in the park. 

For a while they chatted about nothing, just happy to be away from their public faces and duties. Carmilla's obligations, as head of her clan, were obvious and manifold. Laura's were less so, having more to do with being perceived as responsible and capable, but as heir to her house, she too knew the pressure of being under near-constant observation, and any break from it was a relief. 

Inevitably, though, the conversation eventually turned to the issue never far from their minds: the negotiations and the upcoming conference.

"It'll be weird having the other five houses here," Laura said thoughtfully. "We don't have annual meetings like you guys."

Carmilla was surprised. "None? But how do you keep in touch, maintain bonds?"

"Correspondence, mostly. Occasionally several of the houses will have smaller meetings – for a while my house, House Lawrence, and House Koenig met a lot to discuss our various strategies. But generally no one likes to abandon their post for too long, in case the clans move in." Seeing Carmilla's raised eyebrows, Laura shrugged. "Like Dad says: constant vigilance."

"Sounds more like 'paranoia' to me," Carmilla said.

"Yeah, well, we had good reason to be," Laura retorted.

An air of awkwardness descended; despite the mutual affection the girls shared, neither could deny the years of hatred that preceded them, and it always managed to intrude eventually.

"House Koenig..." Carmilla said, eager to break the tension. "They're more up north, right? Near Clan Lowenstein?"

“Yep. During those strategizing meetings the Koenigs would always bring their kids, so I became pretty good friends with their daughter Sarah Jane, who’s about my age. She and Danny and I hung out a lot, especially when the meetings got super boring,” Laura said, smiling at the memory. “She’ll be coming with her house – I haven’t seen her in years, so I’m really excited."

So caught up in reminiscing was Laura that she almost missed the flash of sadness that flitted across Carmilla’s face, and she turned to her, saying, “…but hey, Carm, not that you should be excited about the conference, but it’s more than that. You’ve been really down lately. Is everything okay?”

Carmilla hesitated. Now was the time to confide in Laura, tell her just how badly she’d been feeling, the constant exhaustion and nightmares. But as she opened her mouth to do just that, she paused again; there was no point in needlessly worrying Laura; unfortunately, there was nothing the girl could do about the nightmares, and the exhaustion would take care of itself as soon as the conference was over. At the same time, she’d never liked lying to the other girl. A partial truth it was, then.

“I’ve been thinking and hoping for this day to come for so long, for the houses and clans to finally be willing to move forward. Now that it’s finally here I’m afraid that something will come out of nowhere and destroy it all.” She smiled bitterly. “Wouldn’t be the first time.” 

Laura watched her, face softening. After a moment, she said a bit tentatively, “How are you handling things lately? You know…with your moth- with Morgan?” 

Ah. She’d always been a perceptive one. Carmilla bit back the instinctive, defensive retort that she would use with anyone else, fighting back the images that had robbed her of her sleep and that sprang up at a moment’s notice.

“Well…I…” she looked up to see Laura listening to her intently, her eyes serious and compassionate, and something in Carmilla melted at the sight. “I don’t really feel like talking about my mother right now.” 

Laura frowned. “Um, okay, what did you want to talk- oomf.” She never got to finish her sentence; Carmilla rather unexpectedly leaned in and got in the way of her ability to talk. After a moment of indignation, though, Laura found that she didn’t really mind. This had, she reflected pleasantly, been happening more often than not, lately, and she had to say that she was quite the fan.

Carmilla broke the kiss after a moment to give Laura a chance to breathe, saying, “I’m pretty sure this is the kind of thing your father wouldn’t approve of.”

Laura made a face. “ _Please_ don’t bring up my dad at times like this.”

Carmilla barely had the chance to get out a “Good point” before Laura reached for her again, and as she sank into the embrace she felt a fierce burst of resolve; she would let nothing get in the way of this, or between them. She owed it to Laura. She owed it to herself.

* * *

 Later that day, Carmilla finally sank into bed, exhausted from the meeting with Hollis, her time with Laura, and the inevitable list of issues presented to her to deal with upon her return to the Karnstein estate. It was with great relief that she was finally able to sneak away and, after draining a blood bag, get some rest. With that, she closed her eyes and, soon enough, began to dream.

She was in the coffin room again. It was always the same, and yet the terror and rush of adrenalin and panic remained as fresh and visceral as the very first time. The chair, her bound hands, her mother, William, and Laura. Always Laura. This time Carmilla turned her head from the sight, unable to bear it for one more second, and heard herself say as she did so, “…but you’re dead…”

Her mother, as always, stepped up to her, the same serene smile in place. She brushed a hand down Carmilla’s face (like always), saying, “Well of course I’m dead, darling; you killed me.” The caress turned painful as Morgan dug her nails into Carmilla’s cheek, her voice sharpening to match. “But why should that mean you’re rid of me?”

Harder and harder her nails dug in, stinging and cutting more and more until Carmilla woke with a start, her useless breath coming fast. The nightmare had ended, but the stinging in her face had not. She reached up to her cheek with a shaky hand, and didn’t need her impressive night vision to know that it came away wet with too-dark vampire blood.

Carmilla sat in her bed, bleeding from four crescent cuts that had occurred in a dream that wasn’t real and by a mother who wasn’t alive, and felt very afraid.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are never too easy for Carmilla, poor thing.
> 
> Feel free to drop me a line, if you're so inclined, and as always thanks for reading!


	3. The Houses Arrive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay -- work has been killer. Enjoy!

Their time in the park was the last private moment for Laura and Carmilla for several days; the arrangements of the conference – turned out, housing and feeding 60 hunters was a bit of a logistical nightmare – took up the grand majority of Laura's time, keeping her in planning sessions with her father and the steward of the House late into the night.

And then, all at once, the months of work and anticipation did not seem so endless; instead, time went alarmingly swiftly, the days running down, until – the houses arrived.

While House Lawrence had always been located near House Hollis, forging close ties between the two and fostering a fast friendship between Laura and Danny in the process, the other houses were not so close, neither in geography nor relationship. This did not necessarily mean that relations were strained, exactly – animosity of any sort between the allies would not be tolerated when the real enemy was so grave and loomed so large – but just that the distance and need for constant vigilance (a motto shared by them all) in their respective territories limited what could realistically develop.

So having so many hunters in one place - and from all different houses, no less - was certainly a new experience for everyone. Hollis and Lawrence were familiar with each other, and to a lesser extent with House Koenig, but for many hunters, this was their first experience meeting a counterpart from one of the more distant houses, like House Friedrich or Lehmann.

After a whirlwind morning of meeting the house delegations, giving directions, overseeing refreshments, and assigning rooms, Laura was already ready to go back to bed; organizing milling hunters and keeping order was no small order. She’d briefly seen Danny, the other girl giving a wave as she walked with the Lawrence delegation, but had no time to chat – her duties had only just begun.

The first order of business, once everyone had been settled in, was in reality the first hurdle William Hollis would have to overcome in the path to getting the Treaty successfully ratified: an introductory meeting between the House leaders, supposedly informal but, really, anything but; Laura knew full well that getting off to a bad start could be lead to a myriad of unpleasant consequences down the road.

Having directed a final group of House Keller hunters to the steward – the Keller delegation had arrived late, Klaus Keller staying true to his paranoid reputation and wanting to keep an eye on Clan Ascancia, the vampire clan closest to his house, for as long as possible – Laura finally broke away and made her way to the conference room, where the meeting would be held.

Dodging some stragglers in the hall, she made it in time to ready the room and make sure her preparations were in place, barely finishing before the double doors opened and a group of somber-dressed hunters walked in, led by her father. He made eye contact with her and she gave a barely perceptible nod; he returned it and ushered the group in.

"Good afternoon, everyone," he said as everyone took their seats. "Thank you for coming."

"As if we had a choice," Klaus Keller said, visibly displeased. "This fool’s mission you've hurled us on is utter folly, Hollis."

Before Hollis could speak, another voice cut in. "For heaven's sake, Klaus, at least let the man speak before you make up your mind," Melissa Lawrence said. Serene and levelheaded (and tall like her daughter), Lawrence was the only female leader of the hunter houses, and over time had become the de facto peacemaker of the group (though whether this was because she took a certain amount of pleasure in pricking the male egos around her was up for debate).

Keller sniffed. "What is there to decide? We are once again, for reasons that are beyond me, attempting to negotiate with the very creatures that have spent centuries preying on us."

"I must agree with Keller - this is all very irregular." This time it was Wilhelm Friedrich, leader of House Friedrich, that spoke up. "I haven't had the faintest about what to tell my hunters for the past six months."

"Come now - have any of us ever known William Hollis to act without thinking?" The question came from the leader of House Lehmann. "No doubt he has good reason to act as he has."

Hollis, meanwhile, had been watching the squabbling in front of him in silence, patiently waiting for the group to talk themselves out. Finally, seeing his opening, he began: "I agree that this is uncommon. We all hoped to wash our hands of the vampires when we signed that Treaty eighty years ago." He paused. "That hasn't happened." An uncomfortable silence descended. "The simple fact is that the original treaty failed to stop the clans from exerting their influence over humans. They may no longer kill like they used to-"

"--or just not in our sight," Keller cut in.

Hollis barreled on. "-but they still are as powerful as they ever were. We have a unique chance here to change the terms of the Treaty and make a real change in how they operate."

Friedrich raised a skeptical brow. "And I suppose the clans are just falling over themselves to help us accomplish this."

"The clans know our abilities." The group started, then turned to look at Laura, who had been silently watching the proceedings, but now spoke with conviction. "They know them, and they know we can put up a fight. Now is the time to make a change."

No one spoke, but the doubt was palpable in the air. Undeterred, Laura continued. “Before the first treaty, our world was one of blood, steel, and fear. We fought for our survival, and did whatever we had to protect humanity. It was our only option, and I don’t regret that. After the treaty, we’ve endured eighty years of a cold war! The violence has ended, but the fear has remained.” She leaned forward, her face intent. “This is our chance to help end that fear. We have to move forward, or be forced to live this way forever.”

Keller spoke once more, now looking more than a little irked. "So we can assume that, oh, I don't know, Clan Karnstein feels the same way? After killing your mother and attempting to destroy us all?"

Laura couldn't conceal a flinch, but just as quickly smirked. "Actually...why don't I let the clan speak for itself."

As if on signal, the door to the storage closet at the back of the conference room swung open, revealing a rather cramped Carmilla, who had been more or less stuffed in to the space by Laura just before the start of the meeting.

At the sight of the vampire, the air in the room grew charged, every person save Hollis and Laura stiffening and making to grip some concealed dagger or weapon.

Carmilla rolled her eyes. Exiting the closet with more grace than Laura could have managed, she strolled into the room, blithely ignoring the tension and leisurely taking a seat at the table. "Yes, Mr. Keller. If you have any doubts, then - by all means. Let's hear them."

Keller all but growled. "I don't know what game you think you're playing, vampire, but--"

"Oh, for god's sake," Carmilla interrupted. "Will you drop the theatrics? I'm just here to talk."

Keller turned to Laura, his jaw tensing. "Miss Hollis! What is the meaning of this? This was meant to be a private meeting!"

Laura sighed. The man really needed to start yoga or something, or he'd growl himself into an early grave. "Carmilla is here on my invitation, Mr. Keller. I vouch for her." She narrowed her eyes just a bit. "And if you remember, she _did_ save my life not so long ago."

"Yes, after her mother very nearly killed you," he retorted.

She winced. That was an unfortunate fact.

"You're right. Morgan _did_ try to kill her. And after her, all of us," Carmilla spoke up, evidently deciding it was time to make her point. "My clan knows that. All of the clans know it. Why do you think we agreed to negotiations in the first place?"

The man shrugged. "I make it my business not to think overly much on the motivations of you creatures."

Privately, Laura thought that that made him rather ill-suited for his job, but a warning glance from her father stayed any thoughts of voicing it.

Carmilla continued, this time addressing the whole group. "The clans recognize that the current model isn't working. In light of that, we have been working nonstop with House Hollis to find a deal that is fairer and works for everyone."

Laura took a moment to survey the group. Her father, Lawrence, and Lehmann looked somewhat supportive, while Keller, and to a lesser extent Friedrich, on the other hand more or less resembled thunderclouds. Hans Koenig, of House Koenig, was the only one who had not spoken, opting to quietly listen, and sat impassively.

Carmilla was wrapping up. "I will not pretend that this will fix everything, or that it will even be quick. But it is a first step. I believe in it, and I believe it should be ratified."

"As do I," Hollis said. Carmilla shot him a surprised glance, and he tipped his head slightly.

Keller shook his head disgustedly, rising to his feet. "We are here, Hollis, because we were given no choice. But I will fight this tooth and nail." He swept out of the room, Friedrich following close behind. Some minutes later, after exchanging some encouraging words with Hollis, Lehmann and Lawrence made their leave as well.

The only leader left was Koenig.

"Well, Hans?" Hollis asked. "Heard enough?"

Koenig laughed tiredly. "Nothing terribly surprising, I suppose. Klaus does enjoy the sounds of his own voice."

"Always has," Hollis agreed.

Keller smiled, but quickly sobered. "And you have your regular allies. I am glad to see it. But I am not so easily decided."

Hollis sighed. "It's not about sides, Hans. Not when it comes to this."

"Perhaps not. But this is truly an enormous decision to make. And I have my people to consider."

Hollis opened his mouth, but Koenig held up a forestalling hand. "I will think on it. That is all I can promise."

Hollis nodded after a moment, looking reluctant. Koenig stood, shooting a smile at Laura. "It is good to see you, Laura. You spoke very eloquently."

To her horror, Laura felt herself reddening. "Er - thank you. I just feel really strongly about this."

"Ah, the zeal of youth," he replied, chuckling. "How I miss it. Well, in any case, my Sarah Jane is looking for you. She's been talking of nothing else for days."

Laura brightened. "I'll be sure to find her."

He glanced at Carmilla and tipped his head. "Miss Karnstein."

"Mr. Koenig."

With that, he exited the room, leaving Laura, her father, and Carmilla to discuss.

"I suppose that could have gone worse," Hollis said. "I wasn't terribly sure how that gambit with Miss Karnstein would work out, to be honest."

"They needed to see her for themselves," Laura said, confident in her plans as ever. "And Carmilla was willing to do it!"

"She can be very persistent," Carmilla said dryly.

The two of them smiled at each other for a moment, before Carmilla noticed Hollis' quickly fading good cheer and cleared her throat, tearing her gaze from the other girl.

Hollis looked between the two of them for a moment before sighing. "Well, there is much to get done. Laura, see Miss Karnstein out, please."

"Sure thing."

He left, but not before shooting a warning glance at Carmilla, who acknowledged it with a wince.

Laura let out a shaky breath. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"I'm not currently pulling a stake out my chest, so I guess not," Carmilla replied. “Though I think I inhaled some fumes in that closet.”

"...On second thought, if that was just the first meeting, I don't even want to think about the rest," Laura said, looking a bit sick at the thought.

Carmilla smiled cheerlessly. "Oh, don't give up on me now, cupcake. The fun's only just begun."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now things are getting interesting. As always, thank you for reading!


	4. Family Ties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter some new faces.

Carmilla was more than prepared to make her exit directly after the meeting; God only knew how many crises were waiting her attention back at the estate. Not to mention she had her own clans to welcome in just a day’s time.

She had nearly managed to slip away before Laura caught her by the arm, looking surprised. “Carm, where are you going? You promised you’d meet SJ with me!”

Carmilla blinked at her. SJ? Who in the creeping hell was SJ? She saw a hint of annoyance enter Laura’s gaze and winced; ah, right, Sarah Jane. Hans Koenig’s daughter, Laura’s erstwhile childhood friend.

She dimly remembered making vague assurances to Laura about meeting the girl, but completely lacked the energy to face yet another stony-faced, mistrustful hunter at the moment, Laura’s friend or no. “Er…look, cupcake, I really do want to meet your friend, but there’s so much to do at the estate-”

Laura neatly interrupted, eyes beseeching. “Carm, you _have_ to come, she’ll be so excited to meet you! Just come for a little bit, I know you have a lot to do.” She looked down, suddenly unsure. “And…I mean…we probably won’t see much of each other for a while once the conference starts. I just thought…”

Ah, shit. “Yeah, of course. Let’s go.”

Carmilla was rewarded with a blinding grin. “You’re the best, Carm.”

She smiled wryly. “Yeah, yeah.”

The Stag & Wolf had long served as the pub of choice for Hollis and Lawrence hunters, its long hours and storied past with the houses making it the obvious choice for any hunter in need of a drink. The owners were retired hunters, the clientele almost exclusively hunters; even the name was a reference to the mascots of House Hollis and House Lawrence. (Whether or not anyone understood the significance of Lawrence’s mascot was another matter entirely.)

It was there that Laura, perhaps overly optimistically, declared that she, Carmilla, and Sarah Jane would go. Carmilla voiced the obvious problems inherent in any vampire going to a hunter bar, but Laura assured her that it would be fine; Carmilla, at this point in desperate need of a drink, just sighed and relented. After finding Sarah Jane and getting through the excited reunions (Sarah Jane and Laura) and somewhat strained introductions (Sarah Jane and Carmilla), they set off.

The pub was even busier than ever, filled with not only the usual Hollis and Lawrence regulars but now also representatives from the other houses, their cloaks identifying them as variously Koenig, Keller, Lehmann or Friedrich. They made their way through the noisy crowd, Carmilla trying to keep a low profile; no matter what Laura said, Carmilla had no illusions. Should someone notice Clan Karnstein’s leader, things would get very ugly very fast. The barkeep recognized Laura, who was happy and in her element and unlike Carmilla, not at all surreptitious, and soon had a booth cleared for the heir to House Hollis and her guests.

After their drinks had been served, Carmilla regarded her new acquaintance properly for the first time. Sarah Jane – “But everyone calls me SJ” – Koenig was the youngest of Hans Koenig’s children, and as far as Carmilla could tell, the least “hunter-y.”

Refreshingly frank and guileless, SJ kept up a lighthearted conversation, giggling freely and seemingly unaware of her father’s indecision about the clans or indeed, even that she should be more circumspect when faced with a vampire. Outside of Laura, Carmilla had never encountered such a friendly and cheerful hunter; even Laura had taken some time before coming around, and she found herself awkwardly answering all varieties of awkward questions from the other girl.

“So, how often do you have to feed?” “What does blood taste like? No, like, to you.” “Do you really sleep in a coffin?” “Do vampires get periods?”

At the last question, Laura laughed aloud; she’d been watching the rapid-fire questioning occur with growing amusement. She let Carmilla fumble for an answer for a moment, before relenting and coming to the rescue. “Sorry, Carm, SJ has always been a little too, um, curious for her own good.”

“My dad says I have no filter,” Sarah Jane confirmed cheerfully.

“…You don’t say,” Carmilla said weakly.

“I think it’s just my medical side coming out,” SJ continued, her face becoming almost comically serious. “I just, like, have such a thirst for knowledge, you know?”

Carmilla felt her brows rise, and before she could stop herself asked, “Your _medical_ side?”

Laura nodded. “Yeah! SJ’s a healer in her house’s medical department. She’s going to med school next fall.”

Carmilla repressed her surprise with sheer effort, staring at the brunette blinking innocently at her from across the table. She made eye contact with Laura, who was sitting next to SJ, and swore she saw a hint of amusement in the other girl’s eyes; Laura had conveniently failed to mention any of this, clearly happy to watch the interaction unfold.

“So…uh…medical school, huh,” she finally said, finding her voice. “That’s pretty impressive.”

SJ frowned at her. “What, like it’s hard?”

In spite of herself, Carmilla found herself smiling. There was something refreshingly earnest about the girl, and she could see why Laura was friends with her. “No, I guess not.”

Laura’s prediction proved correct; that was the last the girls saw of the other for the next several days, their time taken up by their respective duties as the conference ground on.

Both sides were holding separate discussions for the first portion of the conference, preferring to solidify their positions and resolve all internal conflict before meeting the other. Carmilla chaired the discussions of the clans, soothing their fears whenever she could, and all the while dealt with her ever-increasing nightmares, trying to keep a lid on them as she managed the delicate pride of her people.

After the first several house discussions, meanwhile, Klaus Keller’s fierce opposition to the new treaty surprisingly died down, and he mercifully kept his peace, though never looking too happy about it. Even Hans Koenig looked closer to coming around, appeased by the numerous and redundant protections Laura’s father had built into the bill; should he formally throw his weight behind the treaty, any debate would be a formality as Hollis and his side would finally have a majority.

Finally, the day came for the first joint conference between the houses and clans, with all six house leaders and all eight clan leads in attendance. Laura desperately wished to attend and give support any way she could, but her father firmly shut her down: as heir, her presence in internal meetings could be excused, but not when the stakes were as high as this.

So she paced back and forth outside the conference hall, her nerves fraying more by the minute. The need for this kind of patience killed her, the type where she was forced into inaction. Patiently standing watch on the wall of the Hollis compound for hours was one things; there, she was doing her duty and protecting her people. Here, she was sitting on her hands and helpful to no one.

After several hours, when she was about ready to hurl the heavy double doors open and burst in no matter what her father said, her problem was solved for her by the meeting coming to an end. The various leaders slowly trickled out, and Laura anxiously analyzed their faces, looking for any clues as how it had gone. To her cautious relief, there were no signs of any outright anger or outrage, but that didn’t mean much; the clan leaders, as old as they were, were masters of controlling their emotions, and kept up impressive poker faces.

She finally caught glimpse of Carmilla, who was one of the last to leave, and caught up to her, slowing her gait at the last moment lest she appeared too eager to catch up to the leader of Clan Karnstein. Forcing herself to look casual, she matched her stride to Carmilla’s as they headed towards the exit. “So?”

Carmilla sighed. “Not bad. Not great, but not bad.”

“How’s it looking?”

“Things are tense, but I think that with Hollis’ help we may be okay. Nothing concrete, though.”

Laura glanced around, confirming no one was watching them with too much interest, and let herself smile, relief coursing through her. “Wait, but this is great! So you think it’ll get ratified?”

Carmilla let out a breath. “I don’t want to jinx anything but…maybe.”

Laura let out a whoop, before hastily shushing herself and making her exit; they couldn’t afford to be seen together in public any longer, not when things were so fragile.

Carmilla returned to the Karnstein estate with relief, glad that a major hurdle had been cleared. She had been honest with Laura; the meeting had been tense, with some outstanding points yet to be resolved, but it had gone acceptably well, and she allowed herself some cautious, tentative hope.

She headed straight for her rooms ( _her_ rooms; she’d never been able to stomach the idea of taking over Morgan’s quarters, leader of the clan or no), thinking of nothing but her bed. Waving out the servant who had been straightening the bed sheets, she headed to the in-suite bathroom to freshen up a bit before getting some much-needed sleep.

She had taken only a few steps before abruptly freezing, the hairs on the back of her neck rising. Something was in here with her. She stayed perfectly still, letting her senses fully take in her surroundings as she primed herself for attack.

“You’re losing your touch, kitty-cat.”

Her heart just about pulled itself free of its confines as she wheeled around to the source of the voice, unable to believe that the speaker could be who she thought it was.

And yet, it was. Sitting in the armchair next to the window, watching her with amusement, was none other than Matska Belmonde. Trusted lieutenant of her mother. Her big sister.

“Mattie!” She ran to the older vampire, letting herself be wrapped up into a warm hug. For several glorious moments the pressure and exhaustion of the last months was forgotten as she luxuriated in the embrace and return of a beloved sister, the closest thing she had to family.

“Let me look at you, sis.” Mattie pulled away, holding Carmilla at an arms-length as she looked her up and down. “Gracious, Kitty, have you been feeding enough lately? You’re looking awfully…drawn.”

Carmilla winced. “Well enough. Things have been a bit rough around here. I don’t know what you’ve heard.” She looked at Mattie searchingly. “But what are _you_ doing here? You’ve been gone for more than a year!”

“Well of course I had to come back. I hear you’ve been up to all sorts of naughty business while I’ve been away.”

Carmilla squinted at her. “For that matter, where _have_ you been?”

Mattie waved a careless hand. “Oh, you know, Casablanca one day, Beirut the next. Paris when things got a little dull.”

“What-”

Mattie neatly interrupted. “But really, darling, your situation is so much more interesting. I understand I’m speaking to the esteemed leader of Clan Karnstein now, after all.”

Carmilla felt herself reddening. “Ah, about that, Mattie-”

“No, no, I quite understand it. Listen, sis, I wasn’t overly fond of Mother’s machinations either. She was getting positively _occult_ by the end.”

“Well,” she corrected herself, “More so than usual, anyway.” She gave Carmilla a rather direct look. “But taking her out and then taking over the clan? A little high-handed, don’t you think?”

“Mattie…you know this isn’t something I ever wanted. If anything, all I wanted was to be like _you_. Be able to get away from all this.” She sighed. “But I guess we don’t always get what we want. Do we.”

Mattie looked at her carefully. “No. I guess we don’t.” She rose from the chair and headed to the vanity, where a decanter of blood-infused brandy and some glasses sat. She held up a glass to Carmilla questioningly, setting out two when Carmilla nodded.

As she prepared the drinks, she looked over her shoulder at Carmilla and smiled. “You needn’t worry, kitty-cat. I didn’t come back to steal your spotlight. And you may well be right – something needed to be done about that dreadful Treaty. So I’ll stay out of your way…for now, anyway.”

She held out a glass to Carmilla invitingly. “Now why don’t we sit down and you tell me just what’s been going on while I’ve been away.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!


	5. Meeting the In-Laws

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Mattie makes everyone around her uncomfortable and thoroughly enjoys herself.

The next day was filled with yet more talks; Carmilla wondered – with more than a little bitter amusement – when her life had become an endless cycle of dreary meetings with even drearier people, and wistfully thought of being, well, _anywhere_ but Styria. Paris, Brussels, Vienna... _anywhere_ in the States (the thought on putting an entire ocean between her and this conference was appealing) would be infinitely better than sealed into an airless room filled with squabbling old men, hashing over the minutest of details in a ridiculously long document.

It didn’t help that her nightmares hadn’t abated at all with Mattie’s return; instead, they’d unpleasantly evolved: the morning before she had abruptly woken to find herself in the hallway outside her bedroom, with no memory of getting there, the eerie cuts in her face dealt by her mother – stubbornly refusing to heal – throbbing painfully. Needless to say, sleepwalking had quickly lost whatever novelty it had had.

So no, she didn’t want to be here. And yet, here she was. She wondered just who it was, exactly, that had it out for her. She darkly mused that at least _they_ were enjoying themselves.

There was a bit of change, at least, though Carmilla wasn't quite sure if it was good or bad; Mattie had sat in to the day’s meeting, and her presence sent immediate ripples through the clans, if not the houses. While she had always tended to stay out of the spotlight, preferring to serve the clan in more discreet fashions (that, incidentally, kept her away from the estate more often than not), Mattie had served her mother for a long, long, time, and was well known to the clans, bringing with her a formidable reputation.

The houses, while not so well-informed about the newcomer, were hardly blind to the interest generated, and Laura (the heirs had finally been permitted to attend) sent Carmilla more than a few questioning glances throughout the proceedings; Carmilla had pretended not to see them, not knowing what to say or how to communicate the complicated ties that bound her to her sister. Finally, Laura had relented, but not before sending her an irritated glare, and Carmilla's heart sank as she thought of how difficult it would be to even find the time to get Laura alone and explain.

Before she could dwell longer on it any longer, though, the matter was decided for her.

"Miss Karnstein, perhaps you could introduce us to the new member of your delegation? If it isn’t too much _trouble_?"

Carmilla jerked up from where, she realized belatedly, she'd been more or less staring at Laura, lost in her increasingly depressing thoughts; Laura, meanwhile, had been growing slightly red under the prolonged gaze and the attention it was garnering.

Carmilla cursed herself – seriously, where the hell was her mind these days, she _really_ needed to get some sleep – and tore her gaze away to see Klaus Keller, the ill-tempered House Keller leader, glaring at her, arms crossed as he waited for a reply.

Before she could formulate a response – now that she thought about it, what _was_ Mattie's official function here, anyway? – Mattie opted to handle the matter herself.

"Why, Herr Keller, you don't mean to say you don't recognize me?" She rose smoothly and glided down to the desk Carmilla was sitting at, easily attracting all eyes in the room. “After all the time we spent together?”

Murmurs broke out among the crowd at her statement, Keller flushing a deep red. “I…have no idea what you’re talking about! What nonsense!”

Mattie smiled serenely, Carmilla hiding a smirk at the expression. Her sister had always excelled at provoking others, though the serenity she could summon up at a moment’s notice had always been a little too close to their mother’s manner for her comfort. “No? Think a bit harder, Herr Keller. Perhaps you’ll remember.”

She turned to address the room at large, neatly cutting off his outraged sputtering. “But for those of you who don’t know me – I am Matska Belmonde, head of external affairs for Clan Karnstein. I have been abroad, handling some of the clan’s international concerns, but news of the revised treaty brought me home.” She paused significantly, before gesturing to Carmilla. “After all, it was my duty to support the new leader of our clan. My sister.”

Carmilla internally winced at the declaration – Mattie certainly wasn’t wasting any time – but remained perfectly calm on the outside, lest she add any more intrigue to the situation. More murmurs of surprise broke out, nonetheless, though this time isolated to the houses – the clans, after all, were perfectly aware of who Mattie was and her relation to Carmilla. Speaking of the houses…Carmilla chanced a glance at Laura, and this time could not conceal her wince. Laura was openmouthed in shock, clearly blindsided by this newcomer’s easy control of the crowd and her unexpected news.

She waited until Laura met her eyes, trying to communicate her contrition; had it been her choice, she would’ve spoken to the other girl long before this meeting. As it was, all she could do now was try to show her remorse. To her relief, Laura, after looking her way, gave her a weak smile, clearly still confused but giving her the benefit of the doubt. Carmilla sagged in relief – she really didn’t think she could handle Laura being mad at her on top of everything else – and returned the smile before turning her attention back to the proceedings.

Only to find Mattie's eyes on her, her sister looking more than a little considering. Carmilla immediately cleared her expression, but she already knew it was too late – Mattie had seen the interaction between her and Laura, and now would certainly draw her conclusions. And considering how irritatingly perceptive Mattie could be in the most inopportune moments, Carmilla had little doubt they would be closer to the truth than either her or Laura would like.

Wonderful.

The meeting drew to a close soon after Mattie’s introduction – Carmilla rather thought that she had stolen the show. Klaus Keller was _still_ scowling.

Carmilla made her way to the exit, keen to get away without the inevitable conversation – but to no avail. Mattie had spotted her, and was heading her way at speed. Carmilla looked around a little wildly; vampire etiquette typically looked down on vanishing as a means of avoiding conversations, but hey, desperate times. But no; the wards that had been erected to prevent any vampire magic, set up to preserve the meeting hall’s neutrality, still held. And Mattie was closing in.

“For heaven’s sake, you don’t have to look so resigned,” Mattie said as she walked up. “I’m not going to eat you.” She laughed lightly. “That’s what our food is for, darling.”

This, Carmilla thought morosely, was not going to go well.

“Now, tell me, sis,” Mattie began, linking arms with Carmilla, “Are those hunters always so…staid? I haven’t seen so many grim faces in dark clothing since the last episode of _Game of Thrones_.” She saw Carmilla’s bewildered look and shrugged. “They made be food, but they make good TV.”

“But one of them was rather different,” she continued. “Who was it…the Hollis heir, I believe? William Hollis’ daughter.” She cast a sly glance at Carmilla. “I don’t suppose you know who I’m talking about, kitty-cat?”

Carmila tried to look bored. “Hollis? Don’t think I’ve seen his heir, much less talked to her.”

A beat. Two. She finally looked up to see Mattie simply looking at her, looking deeply unconvinced. She sighed and relented. “Okay, yes, I’ve, er, come across her while negotiating with Hollis.”

“From the looks of it, you’ve done a lot more than come _across_ her, if you catch my drift.” She spoke over the noise of Carmilla choking. “No, if you ask me, I think you’ve gone and done it again. Fallen for the enemy.”

Carmilla finally recovered, but before she could protest Mattie continued her offensive: “My goodness, sis, you can’t mean to tell me you’ve found another human to hopelessly pine after. Although,” she conceded, “I suppose I shouldn’t say ‘pine.’ Miss Hollis seemed more than involved for her part. But a hunter, really? How horribly clichéd.”

Carmilla sighed. “It wasn’t really…planned.”

Mattie snorted. “It never is. When did this even start?”

“I talked to her about what Mother was up to. We worked together…”

“…and researched late into the night, and spoke of your greatest fears and hopes, and _bonded_ ,” Mattie finished, wrinkling her nose in distaste. “Yes, you always did go in for that. Me, I never felt the need to cozy up to my food supply.”

“She’s not _food_ , Mattie,” Carmilla said sharply, getting annoyed for the first time. “And without her I’d still be in a coffin in the dungeons, and everyone here would be dead.”

She regretted her words as soon as she’d spoken them; better to have let Mattie think that her attachment to Laura was a passing fling. Sure enough, Mattie was looking at her with new interest and not a little concern.

“Watch out, sis. I don’t think I have to tell you that this isn’t going to end well for you or your fair-haired huntress. Speaking of…”

Her voice trailed off, and Carmilla looked up to see what had caused the disturbance – only for her stomach to drop at the sight of Laura approaching the two, looking resolute.

“Well, well, things just get more and more interesting…” Mattie murmured delightedly.

Carmilla, for her part, was attempting to indicate general warnings of doom and disaster to Laura, who in turn was blithely ignoring them as she approached.

“Hey, Carm!” she said, determinedly cheerful. “I thought today went well, no?”

“I- er- yes. Great.”

“And you,” she continued, turning to Mattie, “must be Ms. Belmonde.”

“That would be me,” Mattie confirmed, looking thoroughly amused by the plucky girl in front of her.

“It’s funny,” Laura said, “I didn’t know Carmilla had a sister.”

“I daresay there are many parts of Carmilla’s life you don’t know about,” Mattie smoothly countered. Ignoring Carmilla’s pinch, she looked Laura up and down consideringly. “But I’m much more interested in _you_ , little hunter.”

“In _me_?” Laura said, her bravado fading a bit. Carmilla restrained a sigh; Mattie was enjoying herself.

“Yes, quite. After all, you’re none other than Laura Hollis, the hunter who helped my sister here bring down my mother?”

“Well- yes- but that’s not really-”

“And who, it seems, got more than a little close to her in the process?”

“I wouldn’t say…that is…” Speechless, Laura turned to Carmilla for help.

Carmilla sighed. “Mattie…”

Mattie looked affronted. “I’m just getting the facts straight, sis. I don’t mean any harm.” Then, in a move that promptly undermined her words, she began to circle Laura, the girl standing stiff with discomfort.

“I suppose she’s pretty enough,” she said thoughtfully as she examined Laura.

“Gee, thanks,” Laura said, uneasy under the scrutiny.

“And braver than she has any right to be,” Mattie finished, smirking. She ceased her circling, to both the girls’ relief, and suddenly looked serious. “But like I said earlier, Carmilla, whatever is going on between you two won’t end up anywhere near well. Why, she’s a human – a _hunter_ , at that – and you’re a vampire. It goes against nature itself!”

Laura had been looking more and more annoyed as Mattie spoke. “I think Carmilla and I can make our own decisions, thanks.”

Mattie just looked at her and sniffed. “No need to be offended, Miss Hollis. I’m not saying anything you don’t know. Why else would you two insist on carrying out your little affair in secret if you didn’t think it would attract censure from every side?”

Laura reddened. “We’re just- just being discreet! We’re in the middle of some pretty tense negotiations right now, if you didn’t notice.”

“And after this has all been wrapped up, you’ll have a great big party celebrating your forbidden love, and everyone will celebrate?” Mattie raised her eyebrows. “Your _father_ will celebrate?”

“Mattie! That’s enough,” Carmilla finally interceded, the sudden pain in Laura’s face moving her to speak up. “We’ll figure this all out after the conference, okay?”

“Alright, alright. I’ve said my piece anyway,” Mattie said. “It was an absolute _experience_ meeting you, Miss Hollis.”

Laura forced a smile, though it came out closer to a grimace. “Likewise.”

With that, Mattie vanished in a cloud of black smoke, leaving the two to regard each other awkwardly.

“That…could have gone better,” Carmilla finally said. “Mattie can be a little, ah, blunt.”

“A _little_ ? If that’s her being a little blunt, I’d like to see what she’s like when she’s being completely frank. I mean, _god_.” Without warning, she wheeled on Carmilla. “And you! Where were you just now?”

“What do you mean?!”

Laura took a deep breath, clearly trying to keep her cool. “Carmilla, you just stood there as your sister sized me up like a side of beef.”

Carmilla winced; Mattie _had_ rather resembled a lion cornering a gazelle. “She was never going to do anything.”

Laura just shook her head. “You never even _mentioned_ you had a sister.”

“It just never…came up.” Laura looked at her flatly and she sighed. “I swear I wasn’t keeping it from you. But Mattie’s been away for ages, doing who knows what. With everything that’s been going on I haven’t really had time to even think about her.”

Laura watched her for a moment before sighing and nodding. “Alright, alright…and all that stuff she was saying? Do you believe any of it?”

Carmilla paused. While Mattie hadn’t been particularly tactful, she hadn’t been wrong, either. While she and Laura hadn’t discussed it explicitly, Carmilla knew perfectly well that making their relationship public would carry with it quite a few consequences, none of them particularly cheery. There just hadn’t been any point in stating the obvious, when there was nothing either her or Laura could do about it, especially not during the conference.

“Mattie was just trying to rile you up, cupcake,” she finally said. “Don’t get me wrong – things aren’t going to be easy. But we’ll get it figured out. The new treaty is just the first step.”

Like she said: no point in stating the obvious. Why, when all it would do was upset Laura?

Laura brightened. “That’s what I’ve been thinking! I’m so glad we’re on the same page, Carm.”

Carmilla forced a smile. “Me too.” At the motion, Laura suddenly frowned. “Carm, you’re hurt. Where did you get those cuts?”

Carmilla instinctively covered the four crescent cuts. “Oh, just got a little clumsy, creampuff,” she said dismissively. “Don’t worry about it.”

Laura smirked. “You mean the super-strong and crazy fast vamp got herself scratched?”

“Something like that.”

So she wasn’t being perfectly honest with Laura. But her girlfriend couldn’t do anything about the dreams. And she couldn’t, either. At least not right now. She just had to hold on until the end of the conference. Just a little bit longer, and then she could deal with it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~cue ominous music~~


	6. You Can Run, but You Can’t Hide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! Sorry for the delay -- I'm traveling currently, so updates may be a bit slowed til I'm back Stateside.

Damp dungeon hallways. An overturned satchel, vials of poison laying in pieces around it. Ell falling before her, eyes filled with endless blame and hate, as her mother, condescending and falsely sympathetic, shook her head. And the coffin, always the coffin, overflowing with blood.

 _Do you really think that my absence will change anything? That_ you _can change anything?_

Carmilla dug her fingers into her temples, trying to soothe her aching head. She had woken up that evening to find herself at the doorway of the Karnstein mansion, with no memory of anything but that same question, uttered by her mother, and her own screams as she’d been sealed into a coffin – the lingering remnants of a dream.

The unpleasant awakening had thoroughly unsettled her, and though she would have liked nothing more to drink herself into oblivion late into the night – with Mattie no doubt serving as a willing accomplice – the unfortunate reality of another day of meetings (gag) stayed her hand.

Actually, the thought of more negotiations was usually enough to drive her to drink, but today’s negotiations were unusual in that they represented actual progress: Laura had mentioned that her father thought that Hans Koenig, thus far remaining stubbornly neutral, was going to announce his support for the treaty, thus pushing the approving hunter houses into the majority. While Laura had been delighted, Carmilla had privately been a bit less celebratory; it had only taken him, she thought wryly, almost two weeks to budge.

But even so, the shift and corresponding move towards ratification were encouraging, and so Carmilla – only a little regretfully – set aside the whiskey and opted for some blood-spiked espresso instead.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the caffeine hadn’t had much effect; she’d developed a pounding headache around dawn, and it had only worsened throughout the day and the meeting; by the time Hans Koenig stood up to speak, she was hardly able to focus.

“Herr Koenig has the floor,” the day’s appointed chief delegate, a wizened old vampire from Clan Nassau, announced. Koenig nodded his thanks before turning to face the delegates.

“Fellow hunters,” he said, “and esteemed – er – _guests_ , thank you for hearing me. I will be brief. For the past weeks I have been listening closely to the arguments made by every side of this proposition, as well as going over the proposed new treaty with members of my house. I will not lie: when I first arrived to this conference, I was dubious at best about this entire scheme.” He paused significantly, and Carmilla forced her tired brain to pay closer attention. “But my observations throughout this time have persuaded me differently. And so today I am pleased to announce that I and House Koenig will support the proposal, in the hopes that this new treaty will usher in an era of new hope and cooperation between our two sides, so embittered for so long.”

This declaration was met with scattered applause and calls of “Hear, hear!” Koenig bowed his head modestly, accepting the handshakes of Hollis and Melissa Lawrence. Carmilla, meanwhile, merely sat back, considering. Huh. So Koenig had finally yielded. She wondered cynically just how much backroom negotiations and promises had been made to finally secure his support. She supposed, though, that in the end it didn’t really matter to her; the result was the same. The treaty would go through, and her months of work would be validated.

She wondered, through the haze of her headache, why the news didn’t particularly affect her.

It was declared that a feast would be held that evening to celebrate the progress, a move heartily supported by all, Clan Karnstein, of course, among them. Carmilla had barely restrained a grimace as she clapped.

As the crowds filtered out – the feast to be held in the same hall in town, neutrality still necessary as ever – Carmilla resolved that, feast or no, she was headed back to the estate, and getting some much needed sleep. She would still make it in time for the celebrations, and anyway, her head was _killing_ her.

* * *

 “Hey,” Laura said, “have either of you seen Carm?”

LaFontaine and Perry shook their heads. “We kinda just assumed she’d be with you,” LaFontaine said.

Laura sighed, frustrated. “No, I haven’t seen her all evening. I know she was at the meeting earlier but I don’t think she’s here…”

“I’m sure she’s just running a little late,” Perry said, smiling encouragingly. “Why don’t you sit down with us in the meantime? Try some of the chocolate cake!”

Laura couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, Perr.”

She sat down across from the duo, accepting the slice of cake Perry obligingly pushed her way as she did. Getting settled, she regarded the pair, realizing that, in the craze of negotiations, she hadn’t checked in with them in a while.

“So, uh, what’s up, guys? LaF, developed any more tools of mayhem lately?”

The question, meant to be lighthearted, seemed to have the opposite effect, to Laura’s dismay. LaFontaine slumped, suddenly dejected, and Perry patted their shoulder soothingly.

“Sus- _LaFontaine_ has been having a bit of a hard time lately,” she explained in a stage whisper. “There hasn’t been much to work on, development-wise.”

“Hasn’t been much to work on?” Laura repeated, confused. “LaF, you always have a million different things going on in the lab.”

“You mean, I _had_ a million different things going on,” the scientist responded despairingly. “At least, until your dad put the brakes on, like, _everything_.”

“Why would Dad- _ohhh_.” Laura winced. “Uh, yeah. Sorry about that.”

“I mean, I don’t get why researching a laser beam specifically engineered to disintegrate vampires would be offensive,” LaFontaine said. “It’s _science_. But clearly, I’m in the minority.”

“Uh…right,” Laura said after a moment. “Well, they may…um…take it the wrong way. The disintegration, and all.”

“But it’s not just the laser,” they continued, aggrieved. “It’s the latest version of my special holy water injection – one of _your_ favorites, if I recall – and the new iteration of my plasma rifle. Not to mention-”

“ _Okay_ , okay,” Laura cut in quickly. “I’m sorry your research’s been frozen, LaF. I know how seriously you take your science.”

LaFontaine nodded solemnly.

“But, well, it’s probably just until the conference is over,” Laura said, not at all confident about that. “And afterwards, hey! You may even get more vampire volunteers, for tests and stuff!” They shot her a look. “Well, willing ones,” she amended, not all that sure about that either.

“Yeah, I guess…” LaFontaine replied, looking none too unconvinced. Perry, meanwhile, had been nodding enthusiastically to all of Laura’s remarks, no matter how unlikely they seemed.

“Laura is right,” she said, patting the scientist’s shoulder again. “You’ll be back to work in no time.” They nodded glumly.

“But, um, anyway! Perry!” Laura said, a bit over enthusiastically, eager to change the subject. “All settled into house life?”

After being rescued from what was guaranteed to have been a highly unpleasant exsanguination via sacrifice, Perry – who had been working as a pastry chef in town – was promptly swept up into hunter society, due both to her fast friendship with LaFontaine and to her newfound desire to aid the hunters in their quest to “stamp out the vampires” any way she could. Laura had tried to explain that their mission wasn’t actually one of extermination, but, as it turned out, being randomly selected to become an unwilling human blood bag left one with hard feelings.

Luckily, Laura had been able to find a safe route to channel Perry’s passion, appointing her the head of House Hollis HR – Hunter Affairs. Perry had taken to the role very well, coordinating socials, mental health sessions, and sharpshooting tournaments with enthusiasm. She would’ve, Laura mused, made a great RA in a college dorm somewhere.

“It’s been going wonderfully,” Perry gushed. “The ‘Staking 101’ workshop yesterday was a hit. Great turnout.”

Laura weighed the pros and cons of telling Perry that holding such sessions during a hunter-vampire conference was probably not the best idea; the slightly manic glint in Perry’s eyes was doing a great job dissuading her when she saw a flash of red in her peripheral vision and immediately turned.

Sure enough, Danny, flanked by some of her equally gargantuan cousins, was passing by, and, to Laura’s displeasure, apparently not planning to stop and say hi.

“Danny!” She sprang up and caught the other girl’s sleeve. At the sound of Laura’s voice, Danny flinched, obviously hoping to slip by unnoticed, and then turned, an uncomfortable smile in place.

“Hey, Laura.”

Laura frowned at her. They’d all been pretty busy the past several weeks – Danny was her mother’s heir, after all, and no doubt had had her own share of coordination to handle – but Laura had seen _Carmilla_ more than her friend, which was saying something. No, Laura had the feeling Danny was avoiding her, and unfortunately, had a fairly good idea why.

“Where ya been, Lawrence? You didn’t even hang with me and SJ at the Stag & Wolf!”

“Oh, right. I was just super busy, had to do a ton of stuff for my mom.” She grimaced. “And anyway, I hear you guys had enough company without me.”

Laura restrained a sigh. So this _was_ about Carmilla. They hadn’t talked about it, but ever since it had become clear that she and Carmilla were more than friends, Danny had grown – _not_ distant, because that wasn’t Danny – but clearly uncomfortable, and happy to be elsewhere whenever the opportunity presented itself. Whether it was about what Carmilla was or just Carmilla herself, Laura didn’t know. Before she could formulate a reasonable question about it, though, Danny was speaking again.

“So, um, where is Karnstein, anyway?” she asked, looking around.

“I don’t know,” Laura said, tamping down her worry at the reminder of her girlfriend’s absence. Even if Carmilla usually loathed functions like this, the symbolic importance alone - majority house support! - was enough to guarantee her presence. “I’ve been looking for her myself.”

“I would’ve assumed she’d be with you,” Danny said, and this time, there was a definite edge of bitterness tingeing her voice.

“Danny…”

They looked at each other, the silence stretching out and becoming almost unbearably awkward. Inwardly, Laura bemoaned the ease and comfort that had once been the basis of their friendship. As she opened her mouth to say something, anything, to break the silence, their little stare-down was rudely interrupted by the ever-oblivious Kirsch.

“Yooo, D-Money! Hollis! The gang’s all here!” he crowed, bounding over them with what was, frankly, way too much energy for someone his age.

They murmured stilted greetings, and Kirsch looked back and forth between them as yet another silence bloomed.

“…uhh, okay, cool. Well, actually, a little weird, but whatever,” he finally said. “Hey, listen, have you all seen SJ?” He smiled, and to Laura’s surprise, it was a bit shy. “We’ve been, uh, hanging out, and I wanted to chill with her at this awesome shindig.”

Laura couldn’t help but return the smile at this. Bubbly SJ and energy-filled, well-meaning Kirsch made a cute couple. “Uh, no, now that you mention it. I haven’t seen her, actually. Is she not at the Koenig table?”

Kirsch shook his head and gestured over to it. They all looked, and sure enough, Hans Koenig, his hunters, and SJ’s siblings sat, but without Sarah Jane herself.

“Huh. That’s weird…”

“Nah, it’s chill,” he said. “She’s always wanderin’ all over the place. Sure she’ll turn up eventually. Anyway, I’ll see you guys around.” He gave them a cheerful wave and was off, presumably to keep looking for her or to meet up with his bros.

Laura watched him leave, and then looked around to see that Danny was still standing there, looking increasingly uncomfortable. Casting around for a topic, she said a bit wildly, “So, great feast, huh?” Oh god. Kill her now. “I mean, great that the treaty’s probably gonna go through now?”

Danny nodded woodenly. “Yeah. Great.”

Laura glared at her, now getting a bit annoyed. It was fine if Danny had mixed feelings about her and Carmilla – lord knew how complicated the whole thing was – but Laura would much prefer that Danny just communicate those feelings to her like an adult instead of carrying on with the two word responses.

She opened her mouth to tell Danny exactly that – only for a disturbance at the double doors of the hall to catch both their attentions. She narrowed her eyes in irritation – the interruptions tonight were getting a bit out of hand – when a sudden scream pierced the hum of conversation surrounding them. Laura met Danny’s eyes, and the two immediately set off towards the noise, Laura reaching for a dagger as they moved.

They followed the others rushing to investigate out through the doors, onto the street – and stopped short. Laura could distantly feel her pace slowing, the dagger dropping from her limp hand, but the sudden nausea, combined with overwhelming horror, swept her senses, enveloping all else.

Before her, taking up the middle of the street, was Carmilla. Her eyes were distant, her expression fixed – and her face smeared with blood, the liquid dripping from her fangs, down her throat and splattering onto her clothes and the ground.

And by her feet was-was- Laura felt bile rise abruptly in her throat as she stepped closer. Laying at Carmila’s feet, her eyes wide and unseeing, neck a bloody ruin, was Sarah Jane.


	7. Hope’s Heavy Price

The sun was high in the sky when Laura returned from Sarah Jane’s funeral; she tiredly mused that the day was almost cruelly beautiful – nary a cloud in the sky – to host such wretched events.

The funeral had, of course, been terrible; solemn and quiet in the tradition of hunter ceremonies. The simple bier, surrounded by somber warriors dressed in black, as the chaplain of House Koenig delivered his eulogy. At their forefront had stood Hans Koenig, an awfully empty look on his face as he stared at the box containing the daughter who had, in turns, driven him to distraction and sparked the fiercest love a father could have for his child.

And Laura, watching him, knew that the treaty was finished. The thought was a distant disappointment compared to the torrent of tears she had numbly wiped from her face; Sarah Jane was dead. Her lovable, warm-hearted, animated childhood friend was dead, and no treaty, revised or not, would bring her back; she would never go to medical school, never head her house’s med ward, never achieve any of her goals or experience anything else life had to offer. Seeing the tears on Kirsch’s face, the grim expressions worn by Danny and LaFontaine, only reinforced the fact.

And why was Sarah Jane gone? Because- because- it was no good; her mind shut down whenever she reached this point. But it didn’t matter. The hideous image of Carmilla standing before SJ’s broken body, dripping blood, was forever burned into Laura’s memory. Her eyes had been vacant, staring straight ahead and uncaring of the growing crowd surrounding her. Finally, some burly Hollis hunters had apprehended her, bristling with weaponry – and even stranger, she hadn’t put up a fight or even tried to escape; rather, she had gone meekly, as if relieved.

Laura had spent the entire night before the funeral in the Hollis dungeons, where Carmilla had been imprisoned as the houses dealt with the immediate aftermath. She had in turns railed and pleaded with the vampire, screaming at her in horror or begging for an explanation, for any clue at all as to what the hell had happened that had caused the awful scene on the street. That had turned her girlfriend into a _monster_.

But she may as well not have been there. Carmilla had ignored her entirely, resting her head on her knees as she sat on the floor of her cell, apparently oblivious to Laura’s increasingly desperate entreaties. That, most of all, scared Laura: the closest she had ever seen Carmilla act like this was after she had pulled her from the coffin. That fear, mixed in with the already toxic jumble of horror and confusion and desperation and _rage_ swirling in her mind, had finally driven her from the dungeons. She couldn’t face Carmilla for a second longer, needed some space and time to try to make sense of this- this- _fucked up_ turn of events.

(But what was there to make sense of? How could one make sense out of an intrinsically nonsensical event? Carmilla had been killing herself for this treaty for the last six months, had staked her own reputation and clan on its success. She had lost sleep over it, Laura knew, and dealt with an enormous amount of pressure and stress in the process. So there was no reason – not a single one – that could explain this. Oh, she knew what her father and the house leaders would say: that Carmilla was a monster, a murderer, was acting as her nature demanded, and that they had been fools to ever try and negotiate with her kind. But Laura refused to accept this. She had watched Carmilla struggle and struggle throughout this time, and refused to accept that this was how it ended.)

And so, with nothing making sense, she had gone to Sarah Jane’s funeral – the hunters had never tarried overly long in burying their dead, lest it come to some unspeakable fate at the hands of their foes – and exposed herself to another round of pain in the process. But this was an even worse pain, made all the sharper for its permanence. And as Laura watched them lower her friend into the ground, she knew that, regardless of what happened next, it was a pain that would remain for a long, long time.

Now she stood in the abandoned courtyard of the Hollis compound; the majority of the varied hunters staying there were still, she knew, paying their respects. She stood there for a time, emotionally drained and physically exhausted, unsure of her next steps. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed, sleep for a few centuries, and, when she woke up, find that this had all been a bizarre, unpleasant dream; that would certainly explain why nothing about it made sense.

She flinched as another shard of sharp despair pierced her; why had this happened, and why _now_ , when they had been so close to success…this was no longer a game, or a challenge, the way the search to understand her mother’s research had sometimes been. This was Sarah Jane’s death, and Carmilla’s _life_. No. She could not do this alone.

With that, she gathered up the frayed bits of her will, and set off for her father’s study.

In truth, she would much rather have not appealed to her father, but she saw no other avenues open to her; all houses would be hostile to her from the outset. As she reached the floor of the study, all she could hope was that William Hollis was fonder of Carmilla than his outward demeanor suggested. She swallowed. It was a rather weak thought to pin one’s hopes to.

To her surprise, as she neared the study, the door opened, and a man walked out, wearing dark mourning garb. His back was turned to her, as he said something to whoever was in the study, and her eyes widened as she took in the sigil on his cloak: House Koenig. Oh no. No, this was not good.

He turned, and she sighed as her fears were confirmed: the man was none other than Leo Koenig, SJ’s oldest brother and heir to House Koenig. If he had been here to see Laura’s father, with a message important enough that it be delivered immediately after his sister’s funeral, Laura had a feeling it was enough to make her day a lot worse. And here she was thinking she’d already hit rock bottom.

He strode towards her as she stood still, locked into place. She said nothing as he approached, and when they briefly made eye contact as he passed, she couldn’t restrain a flinch: the anger and despair radiated off him in waves. Her own sorrow, suppressed until now, threatened to overcome her, and she stood for a minute more, her head bowed as she tried to get a hold of herself.

When Laura looked up, he was gone, the hall empty. Nothing further stood between her and her father, and hopefully, help. She walked to the door of the study, and after a moment, raised a fist and knocked. And then, after cursing how tentative the noise had been, knocked again.

“Enter.”

She did so, and as she did took in her father. William Hollis was an imposing man even on good days. This was not a good day. His worry lines were deeply creased into his face; combined with the shadows under his eyes and the gray at his temples, the man looked like he had aged ten years overnight. His frame, tense with stress, had relaxed upon seeing his daughter, and he waved her into a chair.

For a moment, they regarded each other in silence. Then:

“I’m sorry for your loss, Laura.”

Laura blinked back the tears that had immediately sprung up at the unexpected words, and took a moment to respond. “Me, too.”

He looked at her for a second, looking very tired and very sad, before letting out a long breath. “Leo Koenig just came to see me.”

“I know. We passed each other in the hall.”

“He’s very angry.”

“I know that too.”

He rubbed his eyes. “He’s not the only one. His house has revoked support of the treaty, and now, instead of being neutral, is virulently opposed.”

She swallowed. “I suppose that’s not terribly surprising.”

“No,” he agreed. “But that was a vote we desperately needed. But it almost doesn’t matter, now. They haven’t announced it yet, but I suspect the other houses will revoke their support soon enough. The treaty is dead.”

In her heart, she knew he was right, but voicing agreement would make it too real. “There has to be something we can do, some way to save it-”

“Laura, you’re not hearing me,” he said, cutting her off. “At this point, it is all I can do to keep the houses from declaring out-and-out war on the clans.”

She stared at him.

“And the worst part is…” he let out a bitter laugh. “I don’t even know that they’re wrong to do so.”

Laura started. “Dad! You can’t mean that! You’ve been the greatest supporter of the treaty!”

“Yes, on the grounds that the clans wanted change, Laura,” he shot back. “And what happens? Sarah Jane Koenig is violently _murdered_. By none other than Carmilla Karnstein, no less.”

“You- you’ve worked with her for almost a year!” Laura knew she was talking too loudly but couldn’t seem to stop herself. “You can’t believe that this is that simple. Carmilla isn’t a murderer, you know that!”

“I know nothing of the sort. Now, I will admit-” he held up a forestalling hand as she began to protest. “ _I will admit_ that she has been a committed negotiator, these six months. I will even admit that I had developed a certain amount of professional respect for her.”

“Then why-”

“But the fact remains, Laura, that she was see standing over your friend’s body, dripping in her blood, was willingly taken in, and thus far has not spoken a single word in her defense! Carmilla Karnstein killed Sarah Jane, and killed the treaty in the process!” He shook his head in disgust. “I guess it only goes to show that they truly cannot be trusted.”

She stood abruptly, suddenly overcome with anger and despair. “You- you- and I bet you’re happy about this, then! Now we finally have a reason to wipe them out! To kill Carmilla!”

He stared at her in surprise. “Laura, be reasonable. This is hardly personal-”

“Hardly personal? _Hardly personal_? You’ve hated Carmilla from the moment you saw her – _don’t deny it_ –” she said as he opened his mouth to protest. “And now she’s finally getting hers.” It was her turn to let out a bitter laugh. “What a great deal. Two birds, one stone, all that crap.”

She was dimly aware that she was being unfair, but in the flood of emotion could hardly bring herself to care.

Her father stood as well. “ _Laura_. Gain control of yourself _, at once_ ,” he said, his voice deadly quiet in the way it only was when he was well and truly enraged.

They faced off for a moment, the room silent save for her shaky breath. Finally, she sat back down, crossing her arms tightly against her chest. He sat too, regarding her seriously.

Finally, he spoke, his voice quiet and measured. “I do not hate Carmilla, Laura, anymore than I do wolves or lions. She is a vampire, a natural predator, and will do as her nature demands. But she has acted unacceptably, and action _must_ be taken. And I _will_ take that action, if only to preserve what you accuse me of wanting to shatter: the peace.”

She looked down awkwardly. She disagreed with his comparison – Carmilla was not an animal, unthinking and instinctual – but the real hurt in his voice shamed her.

But he wasn’t done. “On a further note. Laura, I am not blind. I am aware that you and Miss Karnstein have grown… _close_ , these past months. But you have to know,” his voice grew even more solemn, “You _have_ to know it could not have worked.”

This time, the silence stretched out for long moments as Laura struggled to contain her emotions.

“So you’ll do nothing.”

He sighed, rubbed his eyes again. “There is nothing I _can_ do. Miss Karnstein has chosen her fate.”

Laura stood once more. “And I’ve chosen mine.”

“Laura-”

She ignored him as she left the room, moving with purpose.

Ironically, her father was right; she couldn’t let what had happened to Sarah Jane go unanswered. But neither could she could abandon Carmilla to her fate. If nothing else, the harsh world Laura had been brought up in had made her both a survivor and a fighter: she would not meekly let whatever larger scheme that was at play here – for there had to be a larger scheme, it was the only thing that made any of this make any sort of sense – win.

For Sarah Jane, for Carmilla, for herself: Laura would find some answers. She rubbed the lingering wetness from her eyes. It was time to get to work.


	8. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are moving along! Still traveling, so updates will continue to be a bit slow.

Her righteous fury propelled her out of the study, down the hall, and out of the compound into the courtyard before petering out, right about when her self-doubt began to set in.

Indignation and determination to find answers were all very well, but where was she even to start? Carmilla wasn’t talking, and this time around, there were no convenient set of journals to comb through for clues.

Typically, her instinct in such situations was to go in with all guns blazing and ask questions later (yeah, not a good strategy) – regardless of Danny’s objections – but even she could admit that that tactic wasn’t going to get her anywhere here. And besides, she didn’t even know what to point her guns _at_.

Besides Carmilla, of course. Her girlfriend was the chief suspect in this whole mess, and was looking very guilty besides. And if this was obvious to her, it would be even more so to any of the other hunters, all of whom were very, very angry, and not exactly opposed to taking justice into their own hands if the system didn’t operate as quickly as they’d like.

And the system…the system. Laura really didn’t want to think about what could – _would_ – happen if she didn’t get some answers, and fast. Her father had made quite clear that he could only hold the other houses at bay for so long, and afterwards, there would be a reckoning. And after that…well…

“Looks like you’ve seen better days, Hollis.”

Laura was jolted from her increasingly depressing reverie by the familiar voice, and looked up to see Danny walking up. The other girl was dressed in somber clothing, clearly coming from the funeral, and, like Laura, looked drawn and tired. Laura felt a surge of complicated feeling at the sight of the Lawrence heir: the happiness she always felt when seeing her friend, but now heavily mixed with the tension that had been hanging over them for months. That, and Laura’s total lack of desire to be made to endure yet more speeches about Carmilla, made for soundly bad timing for this rendezvous.

She opened her mouth, and found herself voicing exactly that. “Look, Danny, I know you never liked or trusted Carmilla, but please…I don’t think I can handle any, I don’t know, I-told-you-sos right now.”

Danny stopped short, looking totally taken aback. When she finally spoke, she sounded – to Laura’s dismay – audibly hurt. “I wasn’t going to do that, Laura, I…I just came by to see how you were holding up.”

Laura looked away, willing the tears from her eyes; she really couldn’t handle this conversation right now. “I’m fine. Great.”

“Laura…”

The unfiltered compassion in Danny’s voice broke Laura’s stubborn will, and the tears she’d kept at bay ran unbidden down her cheeks before she could stop them. At the sight, Danny, thus far hesitant, let out a breath and pulled her into a hug.

At the contact, the unease between them abruptly dissipated, and Laura suddenly realized, through her haze of misery, just how much she’d missed her oldest friend. For a moment, she let herself sink into the embrace and be comforted, allowing herself to grieve for Sarah Jane and Carmilla.

After a minute, she pulled away, wiping at her cheeks and trying to compose herself. Danny stood back, stuffing her hands in her pockets awkwardly, before finally clearing her throat.

“I don’t.”

“Sorry?”

“I don’t, uh, hate her. Carmilla.” Danny spread her hands helplessly. “She’s a vampire, Laura. I’ve been doing my best to deal.”

Laura sighed. “Yeah, I know.”

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t think this whole mess isn’t suspicious, you know.”

She sharply met Danny’s gaze at the words; the redhead’s eyes were intent. “Look, I may have some issues with your…girlfriend…but I know a shady scene when I see one. This doesn’t seem right.”

Laura closed her eyes for a moment as a burst of relief surged through her; finally, _finally_ someone was saying something that didn’t make her feel like she was insane. “Thanks, Danny.”

Danny shrugged. “Nothing to thank me for. We can’t let the wrong person take the fall for this…for killing Sarah Jane.” She met Laura’s eyes squarely. “Carmilla may have killed SJ, Laura, but I know that’s not all there is to this. I know you know what I mean."

Laura swallowed. “I do. She is – was – a Koenig.”

Danny nodded seriously. “Hans Koenig was the crucial swing vote. Without him, the treaty was in jeopardy. And now…”

“…With this murder the whole thing’s gone to hell,” Laura finished. “Yeah. It’s been on my mind all night, believe me.”

“So what are we gonna do about it?”

“We?” Laura asked tentatively.

“We,” Danny confirmed, lips curving into a small smile.

Laura returned it before sighing frustratedly. “I don’t even know where to start…my dad’s hands are tied, the houses are about to declare war, and it’s not like I can go to the clans…”

Danny hummed, contemplating, before her shoulders stiffened abruptly. “Say that last part again.”

“Uh…the clans aren’t gonna help us?”

“Yes! That’s it!”

Laura frowned. “Um, pretty sure that’s _bad_ news, Danny.”

Danny shook her head. “No, I know – but the clans! That’s your in!”

“I…don’t think they’re going to be too keen on helping out Carm right now, Danny. What with the murder, and all.”

“Maybe not. But I know someone who is.”

Laura wasn’t liking the sound of this. The gleam in Danny’s eyes was vaguely alarming, both due to its intensity and the fact that Laura was usually the one throwing out crazy and life-threatening plans. “And that is…”

Danny bared her teeth, looking more wolfish than ever. “You need to go talk to Belmonde.”

* * *

An hour later, Laura found herself walking down the long drive of the Karnstein estate, wondering what the hell she was doing and since when Danny had become so gung-ho about the direct attack; there was no sneaking into the manor after dark this time, after all. She was headed straight for the front gates.

_“Our hunter skills aren’t needed here, Laura,” Danny said. “This is totally legitimate. You’re just going there on a diplomatic mission, to make contact with the acting leader of Clan Karnstein.”_

_Laura briefly wondered when she and her friend had performed a personality switch. “You seem, uh, awfully sure about this, Danny.”_

_Danny shrugged. “The last six months have driven me crazy. All the back-and-forth and under the table conversations. It’s time to cut the bullshit. You just need to talk to Belmonde directly, and fast. If anyone has information that can help Carmilla, it’ll be her.”_

_“And what will_ you _be doing?”_

_Danny abruptly sobered. “I’m going down to the dungeons. Someone needs to keep an eye on Karnstein…I don’t want some idiot trying to take justice into his own hands.”_

_Laura swallowed. She hadn’t thought about that. “Thanks, Danny.”_

_Danny smiled. “I got your back, Hollis.”_

So here she was, fired up by Danny’s speech, apparently going to sweet-talk her way into the estate and into Mattie’s presence. Assuming the vampire was even there. No. She _had_ to be there; Laura didn’t think she’d totally abandon Carmilla in her time of need, but would certainly want to lay low while she explored her options. And anyway, Laura needed her to be there, so that was what she would assume.

The trees on either side of the drive began to thin out as she neared the gates; as she approached, trying to look as non-threatening and calm as possible, she counted the number of guards at the gate (she may have be here just to talk, but also hadn’t been born yesterday). Five, and none of them looked too happy to see her. Geez, incapacitate and embarrass some guys once and they hold it against you forever.

“Turn around, hunter,” one of them said as she walked up. “Whatever you want, I guarantee you’re not going to get it here.”

“No need for the threats – I’m here on behalf of the houses.” Well, she was, even if they didn’t know it. “I need to talk to your leader.”

The same guard, clearly the leader of the group, sneered. “If I remember correctly, Hollis, your house currently has her locked up.”

Laura looked back at him impassively, concealing the emotions he was trying to provoke. It was clear that there was more to their hostility than just anger at her successful break-in to the estate six months ago; with Carmilla imprisoned by the very people she’d been negotiating with, they had no reason to be remotely friendly or helpful.

“I know that. And that’s what I’m here to discuss,” she replied, trying to keep her voice calm. “Take me to Matska Belmonde, please.”

The leader laughed, an ugly sound that drew a shiver of unease down Laura’s spine, and stepped closer to her. “And what makes you think Belmonde’ll want to see you, hmm?”

“I’m not asking. We have things that need to be discussed,” she said shortly, her enforced calm beginning to crack. Carmilla’s life was on the line, and this idiot guard was trying to look tough in front of his buddies.

He smiled unpleasantly. “Don’t think I like your tone, little human. You hunters have been entirely too uppity lately…” he began to walk towards her, a predatory lean to his gait. “But maybe if we get a little leverage on our side that’ll even things out.”

He flashed into movement, and in doing so made his final, colossal mistake. Vampires and hunters alike had been underestimating Laura Hollis her entire life, mistaking her rather diminutive stature and lack of imposing air for weakness, and thus dismissing her as a non-threat.

They’d all been taught the error of their ways. Quickly.

The entire time they’d been interacting, Laura had been scanning him, recognizing indicators for aggression and identifying the limbs and directions he favored, mapping out his most likely plan of attack and her responses to it. If she was being honest with herself, she almost welcomed his belligerence; she needed to let off some steam.

It unfolded in an almost academic manner.

Even before he reached her she was twisting out of the way, moving left to dodge the grab he was attempting with his right hand. As she did so, she seized his left arm and savagely twisted. The move, more than enough to incapacitate a human, caused him to grunt in discomfort and reach for her– but she wasn’t done. The clumsy grab had put him off balance, as she’d hoped it would, and just as soon as she’d completed the action she was moving again.

Taking advantage of his dropped guard, she lashed out in a textbook judo sweep, kicking him just above the ankles to bring him crashing to the ground. Before he had a chance to recover, she was on him again, unceremoniously straddling his chest and pulling out a stake.

Laura held the stake to the guard’s heart and turned the full force of her glare to his wide-eyed gaze. “Take me to Mattie. Now.”

He gaped at her, astonished – apparently into silence. Laura leaned forward, not daring to break eye contact, feeling a drop of sweat slide down her face. While this whole altercation couldn’t have been avoided, it was desperately risky: should he try to attack again, she would be forced to kill him – and in doing so seal all their fates.

_Come on, idiot, drop the act and yield…_

The tense moment was broken by the sound of slow clapping. Laura looked up from her staring match with the dumbfounded guard – but kept the stake firmly in place – to see none other than Mattie herself approaching.

“Well, well, Miss Hollis, you certainly know how to put on a show,” Mattie said, lips spread in an amused smile. “But my, you _do_ like to play with fire."

Laura slowly climbed off the guard, keeping her stake-wielding arm outstretched. “Mattie. We need to talk about Carm.”

“I don’t know why I could be possibly interested in what you have to say,” Mattie replied lazily. “Tell me, how is my sister liking your dungeons?”

Laura forced her voice to remain even. “She’s fine…for now. I can’t guarantee it’ll stay that way.” She met Mattie’s gaze meaningfully. “But things aren’t what they seem.”

Mattie returned the gaze, before raising her eyebrows. “Is that so? Well, come along then, little hunter.” She turned and began to walk down the drive. “Let’s you and I have a chat.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as ever for reading!


	9. Back on the Case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally able to charge my poor, very dead laptop, and wrote this up as soon as I could! Enjoy!

“Now, Miss Hollis, what exactly can I do for you?”

They were meeting in Mattie’s private study, Laura sitting uncomfortably amid the lavish finery while the vampire stood at the sideboard. She reached for a decanter and, after Laura’s quick refusal, poured herself a drink. (Laura tried not to wrinkle her nose at the sharp scent of blood and alcohol.)

At the question, Laura squirmed a bit, trying to marshal her thoughts. “It’s Carmilla. If we don’t do anything, the houses will kill her, with or without the clans’ approval.”

Mattie snorted, somehow even making the noise elegant. “I guarantee that those spineless worms won’t raise a finger to help her. They’re too concerned about the treaty and their own precious skins.”

Laura looked at her squarely. “And what about you?”

Mattie raised her eyebrows at the steel in Laura’s voice before abruptly sighing. “Now, I won’t lie to you, little hunter. I’m very fond of my little sister, but in this case I’m not sure what I can do, bloody jailbreak and war aside.”

“So you’ll do nothing.”

Mattie set aside her glass, looking irritated for the first time. “I didn’t say that. But, in case you haven’t noticed, this is a highly flammable situation Carmilla has placed us all in. The reason I let you in in the first place was because you seemed to have some information that wasn’t immediately obvious.” She sniffed. “But all I’m hearing are the same old tired facts.”

Laura tamped down her fury with effort; she needed Mattie’s help, after all, and in any case there was no point in provoking a vampire who was both older and, presumably, stronger than Carmilla. “I don’t have any facts…just some ideas.”

Mattie sat back, picking her glass back up. “At this point, Miss Hollis, I’m willing to listen to anything.”

“None of this adds up. There is absolutely _no_ reason Carmilla would- would kill Sarah Jane!” Laura swallowed. “And even aside from the fact that she had nothing to gain and everything to lose from doing so, I know…I _know_ Carm wouldn’t do something like that.”

“‘Carm,’ hmm?” Mattie looked amused. “Goodness. You’re even more in over your head than I realized.” Ignoring Laura’s blush, she continued blithely, “But I wouldn’t put so much stock in your beliefs, Miss Hollis. My sister…and _I_ …we are, at the end of the day, vampires. Our nature is our nature, and cannot be changed.”

She took a sip of her blood-spiked drink. “And frankly speaking, I for one would not want to change it. Vampirism does have its benefits.”

Laura all but glared at her, too tired to put up with this for much longer. “What are you trying to say?”

“What I’m _saying_ , hunter, is that it is entirely possible that Carmilla – who, if you haven’t noticed, has been looking quite drawn these days – forgot to feed, lost control, and grabbed the first available human.”

“In case you’re forgetting, the ‘first available human’ was my friend,” Laura snapped. “But I guess you don’t care about that, do you?”

To her surprise, Mattie had the grace to look a little abashed. “Ah. So it was. Quite regretful.”

“Yeah. Quite _regretful_ ,” Laura bit back, seething.

They sat in tense silence for several long moments, before Mattie abruptly sat back, sighing. “In any case, Miss Hollis, I can do nothing without information. Nothing you’ve told me thus far can help me, help Carmilla.”

Laura sighed, frustrated. “That’s because I don’t really know anything, other than that this doesn’t make any sense. She won’t tell me _anything_!”

“She didn’t say anything after she was imprisoned?”

Laura shook her head miserably. “No…she just sat there like a zombie, completely ignoring me.”

Mattie shook her head, taking a contemplative sip of her drink.

Laura, meanwhile, was working her way into a rant. “And she’s been acting so weird this whole time, always so tired and stressed, like I _know_ she’s busy, but that doesn’t mean she has to look like she hasn’t slept in a century!”

“Miss Hollis-”

Laura, however, was on a roll. “And okay, yeah, I know she actually hasn’t been sleeping well, what with all those nightmares, but seriously, I just don’t get why-”

“Miss _Hollis_!” This time, Mattie’s voice was tinged with some sort of inhuman high-frequency that stung Laura’s ears and forced her into silence.

Mattie was looking at her, alert for the first time. “You say Carmilla’s been sleeping poorly? Having nightmares?”

Laura shrugged uncomfortably, massaging her ears. “She just mentioned the nightmares once, in passing…but yeah. And I know she hasn’t been sleeping well, she always looks like she’s about to knock out wherever we are.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“Um…the last three or four months, maybe? I assumed it was the stress from the negotiations.”

Mattie rose and walked to the window, gazing out contemplatively. She stood that way for several moments. Then, as if she had come to a decision, she said, her back still turned to Laura, “I may know what’s happening to Carmilla.”

Laura sat up straight, her exhaustion forgotten. “Wait, what?!”

Mattie nodded, moving from the window to the sideboard. “You are aware that my clan can shift into animal forms, correct?”

Laura nodded mutely, remembering Carmilla shifting into her sleek panther form in the dungeons of the Karnstein estate as they made their desperate race to the chapel.

“Well, you should know that the other clans don’t have that power.”

“What do you mean…”

Mattie paused for a moment as she refilled her glass, before saying, “Each clan has powers unique to them, passed on to each new vampire as they are turned. Clan Karnstein can shift into animal forms, Clan Nassau has the power of flight…” She turned back to Laura, her face serious. “And Clan Ascancia has the power of dream magic.”

Laura had to swallow several times before speaking. She had never heard of any of this before. “What…what does that mean?”

“It means, hunter, that members of that clan can stalk the dreams of others, influencing them, terrorizing them…” She sighed. “…And given enough time, take control of them. I’ve seen it happen all too often – they were quite fond of employing it back when the clans were warring, many centuries ago.”

Laura gaped at her. “And you…you think they did this to _Carm_?”

Mattie shrugged, looking unhappy at the thought. “The symptoms _do_ match up. Sleeplessness, constant exhaustion, nightmares…I don’t know if she’s been sleepwalking, but that’s an even clearer sign of it – means that the one performing the spell has almost fully seized control of the victim.”

“But…but…” Laura could hardly force her mind to work. “Why would they do it?! Sabotage Carm and the treaty? The clans are the ones who agreed to negotiations in the first place!”

Mattie sighed. “That, I can’t answer, Miss Hollis. All I can say is that, with the clans, no matter the decision, there will always be the one malcontent.” She tapped her lip contemplatively. “The real question is, what does Ascancia gain from Sarah Jane Koenig’s death? And from Carmilla, specifically, being the murder?”

Laura tamped down the misery both those questions provoked. “I’ve thought about this. Sarah Jane was the daughter of Hans Koenig, who was the crucial swing vote on the treaty. He had just pledged his support – but now, of course, will vehemently oppose it.”

“And Carmilla being the perpetrator simply confirms the inner beliefs of every hunter,” Mattie finished. “That vampires – even ones you’ve been working with for months – can never be trusted. Not to mention, Carmilla had a lot riding on this treaty, personally. Her failure discredits the treaty and Clan Karnstein in one fell swoop.” 

"Does Ascancia have any particular reason to want to see Clan Karnstein go down?"

Mattie thought for a moment. "Well, suffice it to say none of the clans are particularly fond of our clan...but I can't think of any specific reason, no." Her mouth twisted. "But then again, our mother had a talent for making enemies. She could easily have done something to alienate them, and now that we are in a position of relative weakness, they've come to seek vengeance."

They sat in depressed silence for a moment before Mattie drained her glass, looking weary. “This is all very well, but I still don’t see _how_ they did it.”

Laura looked up from her frantic thoughts. “How so?"

“In order for an Ascancia clansman to work his or her dream magic, they need a physical object, a totem, to serve as a focus and to center their efforts on.”

“Okay…”

“That totem has to be in the immediate vicinity of the target’s sleeping area – in this case, Carmilla’s bedroom. What’s more, it needs to be replaced periodically.” She smiled wryly. “And I can assure you that no Ascancia vampire has been skulking through this estate.”

Laura frowned for a second before a thought hit her. “What if they didn’t need to come themselves?”

It was Mattie’s turn to frown. “What do you mean?"

Laura took her time responding, her thoughts racing. She could hardly believe her own train of thought, but had to voice it. “What if they had help?”

Mattie’s eyes widened. “You mean…”

Laura nodded seriously. “I think one of the houses is helping them.”

Mattie blinked at her for a few seconds before, to Laura’s surprise, starting to laugh. “Of course – of course hunters and vampires would start to work together, but only to destroy a treaty binding the two of them together.”

Laura nodded sardonically. “Like you said – no matter the decision, there will always be malcontents.”

Mattie smiled – a bit bitterly – at the thought before sobering. “So you think a house has a hunter planted here, doing Ascancia’s dirty work?”

“Well, the estate _does_ employ dozens of human servants…”

“True enough. But we run background checks on all of them before hiring…I wouldn’t even know where to begin checking who’s lying and who isn’t.” She sniffed. “They’re all terrified of me, for some reason.”

For the first time that evening, Laura smiled. “Leave that part to me.”

* * *

Laura skidded around the corner of the Hollis compound basement, almost tripping over herself in her haste, before sprinting the remaining distance to the glass doors of the research labs. She pressed her thumb to the fingerprint scanner, tapping her foot impatiently as it verified her identity. As it ran the scan, she automatically checked her pocket, making sure the flash drive Mattie had given her was still there.

After several long moments, the scanner flashed green, and the doors slid open with a hiss. She slipped inside, the icy air of the labs enveloping her as she made her way to the back. The labs were emptier than ever, William Hollis’ moratorium on further research still in place – though she wondered, with the recent events in mind, how much longer that would be the case.

As she moved through the lab, her thoughts raced; the mere possibility of a vampire clan and a hunter house conspiring together was laughable – and yet, that was exactly what she was investigating. How, or why this had happened, she didn’t know – but was determined to find out. It was beginning to appear that even more than Carmilla’s life (precious though that was) was on the line, and Laura was not about to lie down and let it happen.

Finally, she reached her destination, and came upon just the person she’d been hoping to see.

“LaF!”

The lab-coated figure jumped, nearly banging their head on the microscope they’d been bent over, before turning sharply. “Laura! Jeez, you nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“Well, you can set aside whatever you were doing, ‘cause I’m putting you back on the job–” she suddenly frowned. “What _are_ you doing, anyway?”

LaFontaine waved a dismissive hand. “Eh, just looking into the feasibility of reanimating a digital soul that was sucked into a database a few centuries ago. Personal project, don’t worry about it.”

“O…kay…” She shook off her confusion and smiled brightly. “As I was saying. LaF, we’re back on the case.”

LaFontaine blinked at her. “And that means…?”

“How good a hacker are you?”

LaFontaine glanced at the microscope they’d been using, before saying, “Pretty much the best.”

“So, accessing and searching the…oh, I don’t know, the member databases of all the hunter houses won’t be a problem?”

The scientist stared. “Are you saying…” A tinge of hope crept into their voice.

Laura just smiled. “Like I said – we’re back on the case.”

They grinned. “I always knew I liked you, Hollis.” They moved to the oversized computer display that dominated the space, pausing to crack their knuckles. “Hacking, huh? Let’s see what I can do.”

Laura produced the flash drive from her pocket. “You’ll be needing this.”

They took it curiously. “What’s on it?”

“The staff list from the Karnstein estate. I need you to do some cross-referencing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, who is the house involved...?


	10. Realizations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? An update?! Yeah, it's been a while! I'm back from traveling, but just as promptly shoved back into school...so that kinda got in the way for a bit. But we're back, and things are happening!

The dungeons of the Hollis estate were as damp and unforgiving as ever, uncaring of the sunny day outside. Laura wondered, as she always did when she descended the steps to the damp hallways below, when the last time they had actually imprisoned someone here was – but her thoughts cut off as she remembered just who she was here to see.

She was met at Carmilla’s cell by Danny. The other girl, true to her word, had been standing watch over the vampire, making sure no disgruntled hunter tried something stupid, and now stood to meet Laura.

“Hey,” she said, her voice hushed.

Laura immediately glanced over to the cell; Carmilla was curled up on the cot, boots still on (of course), apparently asleep.

“When did she knock out?” she asked, lowering her voice to match.

Danny sighed. “I dunno…an hour ago, maybe two? You’re right, though. She’s acting super weird. She didn’t even insult me once.”

Laura bit her lip, worried. “I wish I knew what happened…”

“Yeah…” Danny straightened. “Wait – what happened with Belmonde?!”

Laura quickly brought her up to speed. By the end, Danny was shaking her head. “A house, working with a _clan_? I don’t know, Laura…”

Laura shrugged. “It’s the best working theory we’ve got right now. Listen, can you go to the labs and see where LaF is with the databases? They said it might take a while to break in. I’ll meet you there in a bit.”

Danny looked between her and Carmilla’s silent form for a moment, before nodding. “Yeah, of course.”

She squeezed Laura’s hand comfortingly as she left, and before long, Laura was alone with Carmilla.

Laura watched her girlfriend for a moment, before finally saying, “I know you’re awake, Carm.”

There was a pause, and then Carmilla cracked open an eye and peered at Laura, disgruntled. “I was trying to force myself back in unconsciousness.”

Laura sank into the seat Danny had vacated. “And how’s that working out for you?”

The vampire grimaced. “Not as well as I’d hoped.”

They sat in silence for a few seconds, and then Laura, her voice soft, said, “What happened?”

Carmilla just shook her head.

Frustrated now, Laura abruptly stood. “I know you didn’t kill Sarah Jane, Carm, and if you’d just-”

“I _did_ kill her, Laura, you saw the blood on my teeth. Remember?” Carmilla cut her off, her voice suddenly hard and bitter.

Laura blinked back sudden tears, taken aback at the vehemence of her words. “Fine! Then I know that what I saw wasn’t all there was to it…right?”

Carmilla stared at her, then abruptly away. “I…I don’t know.”

“What do you mean?”

Carmilla shook her head, frustrated. “I mean, _I don’t know_. I went to take a nap before the feast, and next thing I know I’m standing outside the banquet hall with blood everywhere and your friend at my feet. Lots of screaming.” She looked down. “And then, being hauled here. And you. Crying. I couldn’t face that.”

Laura could feel her mouth trembling, but forced herself to continue. “So you don’t remember- remember doing it?”

Carmilla just shook her head.

“But then why- why didn’t you _say_ anything? Try to prove your innocence?!”

Carmilla looked up at her, her face fierce. “What _innocence_? It doesn’t matter if I don’t remember doing it, Laura, I killed Sarah Jane just the same!” She laughed, an awful sound. “And the treaty and my clan, all in one blow.”

“So you’re just going to let them _kill_ you?” Laura cried, rising to her feet. “Don’t you see that that’s what whoever’s behind this wants?”

Carmilla shrugged, looking so defeated Laura wanted to cry all over again. “I don’t…I can’t…I’ve lost this round, Laura. And maybe I deserve what’s coming to me, Mother was right-”

But Laura had stopped listening. “ _What_ did you just say?”

Carmilla opened her mouth, but Laura was talking again, walking to stand at the bars of the cell. “Mother was _right_? Carmilla…what?” A thought struck her. “Wait…the nightmares you’ve been having…is she in them?”

Carmilla just looked at her, her expression openly surprised and dismayed.

“I’m so stupid. I’m so _stupid_!” Laura said, wanting very much to punch something. She made herself breathe in and out several times before turning back to the vampire. “Carm…Morgan was many things, but never right. _Never_ that."

“Laura…”

Laura forced a smile. “But it’s okay. I’m gonna figure this out, Carm. Nothing’s gonna happen to you. Mattie and I have a plan.”

Carmilla looked up sharply. “You and _Mattie_?”

“That’s right.”

“Laura…I don’t know what you mean, but be very careful around my sister. Any situation she can twist to her own benefit, she will,” Carmilla said, her voice deadly serious.

“She’s on our side, Carm,” Laura said confidently. “She cares about you too much to try anything.”

Carmilla didn’t say anything, but her expression made it clear she doubted that very much.

“Just…stay here, okay?” Laura said, preparing to leave.

“Wasn’t planning on going anywhere, cupcake,” Carmilla responded, her voice wry for the first time.

“Right. But look. I’m not gonna let this happen, Carm,” Laura said. “Not again. Not to the people I lo- _care_ about.”

Carmilla looked a bit alarmed. “Laura?”

“Alright, I’ll see you soon with more news, bye!” Laura beat a hasty retreat, dashing up the steps and back into the sunny courtyard.

Had she really been about to say “people she _loved_ ”? Because first off, that was crazy. They hadn’t been together for even a year, and it was way too soon, and – _anyway_. She could mentally wrestle with her feelings _after_ she saved Carmilla’s life. She headed back to the labs. Surely LaFontaine was done by now.

* * *

 When she returned to the labs, it was to witness the usual tense silence between LaFontaine and Danny. She rolled her eyes; no matter the crisis, it seemed some things never changed. No matter how silly it was.

“Okay, you two. I don’t care what it is this time – not when Carm’s life is on the line,” she said, looking between them. “Got it?”

They both had the grace to look abashed, and LaFontaine cleared their throat. “Yeah, of course, Laura. But hey – ” they swiveled around the keyboard, and quickly brought up a few windows. “Found some things I think you’ll find interesting.”

“Shoot.”

“Well, I first had to break into all the houses’ databases and access their member rolls. Most of them were cake – I don’t think House Lehmann’s updated their firewalls in, like, this century – but some were tougher to crack. Koenig, for one, was pretty intense.”

“But you got it?”

LaFontaine smirked. “Of course I got it.”

Laura returned the smile. “You’re the best, LaF.”

“So what’s the upshot?” Danny said, not trying to hide her impatience.

The scientist shot her a dirty look before continuing. “I cross-referenced every house’s hunters with the Karnstein staff list you gave me – still don’t know how you snagged that – and…didn’t get any hits.” They paused. “At first.”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought about it, and then realized that any undercover hunter probably wouldn’t be dumb enough to go by their real name. So I ran a new search, this time only comparing images. Facial symmetry, bone structure, that kind of thing. And this time…” they clicked a few times at the terminal. “Bingo.”

Danny and Laura stared at the photos before them. On the left, a tall, blonde woman with serious eyes stared out at them. On the right was the same woman, but with brown hair and a meeker expression.

They examined her for a moment in silence. Then, Danny, her voice matter-of-fact: “Never seen her before.”

Laura had to agree. “Who is she, LaF?”

LaFontaine clicked around some more, pulling up a scan of a membership report. “On the Karnstein rolls, she’s Emma Richardson. Just happened to start working at the estate five months ago. It's a fake name, of course. In reality, she’s Emily Mayweather. Hunter for...”

“House Keller,” Laura and Danny breathed in unison.

For a moment, no one spoke, the enormity of the revelation settling upon them.

The silence was broken by Laura slamming her fist down to the table before her, LaFontaine jumping at the noise. “Dammit!”

“Laura?” Danny said, looking alarmed; Laura wasn’t, after all, overly known for her profanity.

“I can’t believe I didn’t see this sooner! I should’ve known Klaus Keller wouldn’t have gone down without a fight,” she seethed. Sloppy. She’d been so busy with the houses and the meetings, and let herself slip. How unforgivably _sloppy_.

“He did get pretty amiable out of nowhere,” Danny mused.

“And he was orchestrating this the whole time,” Laura finished. “I can’t _believe_ this.”

LaFontaine and Danny exchanged glances before the scientist said, their voice awkwardly attempting to be soothing, “Hey, look – it could be worse. They could’ve pulled the whole thing off without us ever figuring it out.” They shrugged. “Well, now we know. So let’s do something about it.”

“For once – and I can’t believe I’m saying this – I agree with LaFontaine,” Danny said. “What do we need to do to prove it, Laura?”

Laura sighed. “We still need more information. How House Keller and Ascancia conspired to do this. How that hunter got into the estate, and what she’s been doing. More than anything, we need _proof_. It’s the only thing that will give Carm a chance.”

Danny paused for a long moment, looking up at the ceiling. Then, her shoulders straightened, and her expression cleared. “So let’s go get it.” She raised an eyebrow quizzically. “And I think you know how.”

Laura turned to look back at the picture of the blonde hunter. “I think we should go pay a visit to Miss _Richardson_ at her place of employment.” She scowled. “And see just what she’s been up to.”

Danny bared her teeth in a grin. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Their moment was interrupted by a whoop, and they turned to see LaFontaine in the process of executing several fist pumps in exhilaration. At their quizzical stares, the scientist reddened and sheepishly cleared their throat, but continued to radiate excitement. “Just wait ‘til you guys see the newest model of my pulse rifle. I’ve been _dying_ to try it out.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: return to the estate **ominous noises**
> 
> Thanks as ever for reading!


	11. Return to the Estate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand we're back! And this time with SPY HIJINKS! Hopefully enough of them to ease the trauma of this week's episodes...

As fond of its mistress as she was, Laura had to admit that she didn’t particularly care for the Karnstein estate. The place didn’t contain overly pleasant memories for her, after all; confronting power-hungry vampires and nearly getting killed in the process, wrenching Carmilla from blood-filled coffins and navigating dim dungeon hallways, left, in the sum of things, a bitter taste in her mouth.

And yet, she thought wryly, here she was, back again. She couldn’t get enough of the place, apparently. Or maybe she just had a knack for getting herself into do-or-die situations.

Because that’s what this was, unfortunately. Act or let the dominoes fall – a cascade of events that _would_ result in Carmilla’s death, or undeath, or whatever it was that happened to vampires when they were staked.

But she wasn’t alone. Danny crouched next to her, the two of them surveying the estate below in silence.

“This isn’t going to be as easy as last time,” Danny murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Laura had to agree. Clan Karnstein clearly hadn’t taken well to the fact that a group of mostly untested hunters had infiltrated their headquarters and overcome their guards with apparent ease, regardless of how well-meaning their intentions were. Accordingly, defenses had been beefed up. The duo had already noted that there was a much heavier guard presence patrolling the grounds then had been the case during their last venture, and the side gate they’d used to enter the property had been replaced with a much taller, imposing entry that Laura doubted could be as easily penetrated, surrounded by double the number of guards.

So, yeah. This wasn’t going to be easy. If all went to plan, though, they wouldn’t have to confront any of them at all.

 “Maybe not. But we’ve got the plan,” Laura replied, trying to sound upbeat. “Just stick to it and we’ll be fine.”  
  
“Right,” Danny said, sounding none too sure. “Remind me again why Mattie isn’t just letting us walk in and look around?”

“She’s on pretty precarious ground with her clan, Danny,” Laura said. “They’d revolt if it looked like she was working with us. And anyway, we don’t want to give any hint to that Keller hunter that we’re on to her.”

That was most of the truth. Mattie _had_ told Laura that she couldn’t risk her position by letting her back into the estate publicly, and they really couldn’t risk the undercover hunter catching hint of their presence and getting rid of any evidence, but Laura had some private doubts about the whole thing. Carmilla’s warning about Mattie’s games stuck in her head – what if the interim clan head was just waiting for her and Danny to screw up, and then moving in for the kill? What if this whole thing was a set-up?

But no. They _had_ to do this, regardless of any doubts. So she wasn’t being dishonest with Danny, not really. The other girl knew this was a highly dangerous move they were about to make, and was with her anyway. No point in letting her know just how potentially risky it might be.

Danny mumbled her assent, and Laura took a moment to check over their gear. They were both garbed in the lightest tactical infiltration gear Laura could her hands on, trying to remain as unencumbered as possible. That meant, though, that aside from some, ah, _unique_ pieces of equipment necessary for their mission, they were relatively unarmed. The fun never stopped, apparently.

“So you know where the opening is, right?”

The question broke through Laura’s musings, and she nodded, gesturing. They rose into half crouches and silently crept to the grouping of bushes that Laura hoped was the right one. Carmilla had told her more about the network of tunnels beneath the estate, connecting the mansion, the chapel, and other structures to provide quick travel away from the sun for its inhabitants. They also, conveniently enough, provided some less-discussed escape routes that led out of the estate, and that Carmilla, at Laura’s insistence, had detailed.

_“Never know when you’re gonna need a quick way out, cupcake…or a private way in.”_

Laura approached the largest bush, bending down to inspect its roots. It should be somewhere here…come on…yes! A glimpse of metal glinted among the twisted roots of the bush, illuminated by the moonlight. She knelt and brushed at the dirt surrounding it, clearing it until a lever was revealed. She promptly grasped it up and to the left, as Carmilla had told her, and then waited, trying not to let her anxiety show.

A moment passed…two…and then she heard a very definite _click_. A small keypad, to which the lever had been attached, pushed its way through the dirt. Laura bit her lip and punched in the four digit code Carmilla had entrusted her with: 1-6-9-8. 1698, the year she had been turned.

Another wait, and then, just as she was starting to get worried again, they felt a rumble beneath their feet. In front of their dumbfounded eyes, the bush simply slid to the side, revealing a long tunnel down, a ladder the only means of descent.

Laura tried not to sigh in relief, feeling a burst of emotion at the same time. Carmilla had trusted her with some very sensitive information, intel that was getting her in hopefully undetected and that could, should it fall into the wrong hands, compromise the security of the entire estate. Laura would repay that trust by getting the proof they needed to clear her name.

“Geez…how many spy movies do these vamps watch, anyway?” Danny said after a moment.

“For now, let’s just be grateful that they’re paranoid,” Laura said, digging the night vision goggles out of her pack and strapping them on. The green hue they cast the world in may have been eerie, but it sure beat being caught unawares by a patrolling vampire in the pitch black of the tunnels.

“Point taken.” Danny tightened the straps of her pack – her superior vision, courtesy the Lawrence lycanthropy genes, rendered any goggles unnecessary – and then, at Laura’s nod, began to descend the ladder. Laura quickly followed.

_Carm…just hold on. I won’t let you down._

Laura hit the ground of the tunnel just after Danny, and after a moment of looking found another keypad. She keyed in the same code and watched as the bush above slid back into place, hopefully covering their tracks. It wouldn’t do to be found out roughly five minutes into the plan.

They quickly took stock of their surroundings, but there wasn’t much to report: just a long tunnel, maybe twenty feet wide, stretching out into darkness. Laura knew it would eventually snake back to that same opening in the dungeons of the estate, but had no idea how many times it would branch out before then. They would just have to figure it out as they went.

She took a deep breath. “Let’s go.”

They moved out, Danny taking the lead; her superior vision and hearing made her the natural choice to take point. After some minutes of uneventful traveling, they encountered the first fork in the path; a bit of intense deliberation later, they decided to take the tunnel to the left, based on their knowledge of the estate’s geography. And if they were wrong, well…they would find out soon enough. The tunnel gradually widened as they went, bits of old equipment, crates, and other storage starting to appear at the sides, indicating that this stretch was much more traveled.

After perhaps ten more minutes of unchallenged progress, Danny suddenly froze. “Wait,” she hissed.

Laura immediately stopped behind her, straining her hearing to try and sense whatever it was that Danny was picking up. Five seconds passed…ten…finally, she could hear faint voices.

“…hate this goddamn patrol.”

“Yes, I know, Henry. You’ve been telling me about it in great detail for the past twenty minutes.”

“We didn’t have to patrol the tunnels until that episode with that bloody Hollis girl!”

“Well, yes. Perhaps you’ll remember that that is what necessitated it.”

Danny and Laura exchanged panicked glances. While they had factored the possibility of patrols in the tunnels into their planning, they had also hoped that they wouldn’t encounter them – the tunnels didn’t provide much room for a fight, and they couldn’t afford the alarm being raised before they got to the mansion, anyway.

Laura hastily took stock of their surroundings before zeroing in on a group of crates stacked near the tunnel wall; enough were there that the two of them could perhaps hope to hide undetected as the guards passed. She nudged Danny and the two crept as quickly and silently as they could to the crates, squeezing in between them and the wall. The boxes provided imperfect cover, but it was better than nothing by far, and Laura could only hope that between them and their dark clothing they’d get by.

The guards grew closer, and closer, the testy Henry keeping up his complaints all the while.

“…don’t know why we’re getting the shit jobs, anyway, everyone else gets to stay above ground.”

“Perhaps, my good man, your relentless, ah, _commentary_ annoyed the wrong person.”

Laura felt a drop of sweat glide down her face.

“And we haven’t even finished this length of the mansion tunnel. Bloody hell, why are these tunnels so _long_?”

The other guard didn’t bother to reply, perhaps preferring to ignore Henry’s presence entirely.

The duo’s footsteps grew louder, until they were walking past the crates themselves. Laura and Danny held their breath, willing their bodies to remain completely still.

“Don’t know why the grounds team insists on stashing all their crap here, anyway,” the irritable (and irritating) Henry continued. “Looks like they’ve been through here – look, the crates have shifted a bit.”

Laura’s heart stopped. No. No. Leave…just leave…

“…So they have, Henry,” the other guard replied, sounding pleasantly surprised. “Who would’ve thought an observant eye could occupy that brain?”

“Hey!”

The other guard took a step toward the crates, and Laura tensed. If she had to take him out, she would.

But the steps suddenly stopped. “Ah, yes. I remember now. The grounds team switched shifts half an hour ago. They must’ve come down then and picked up some equipment.”

“…Huh. Yeah, guess you’re right,” Henry said, already bored. “C’mon, let’s get this over with.”

The two walked away, Henry’s whining eventually fading into the distance. After a moment, Laura let herself sag against the wall. That had been close…

Danny let out a breath. “Jesus Christ.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Laura forced herself back up and around the crates. “But at least we know we’re in the right tunnel now. C’mon, we should be close.”

They continued on, now more cautious than ever. After a bit, they came to another fork. Laura peered down both before suddenly smiling. “Left again.”  
  
“You sure?”

“Yep.” She pointed. “Look, the tunnel wall becomes stone at the left. We have to be right near the dungeons.”

“Oh, thank god,” Danny sighed. “My heart couldn’t take these damn tunnels much longer.”

“Don’t give up on me now,” Laura replied. “We’re just getting started.”

“No worries, Hollis, I’ve got your back.”

“Back atcha – get it? Get it? ‘Cause I’ve got your back, too?!”

Danny stared at her, unimpressed. Laura coughed. “Right. Let’s go.”

They took the left tunnel, and sure enough, were rewarded with stone walls. Finally, they came upon the patch of wall Laura recognized all too well. “This is it.”

Danny inspected the wall Laura was indicating. “Uh…looks like the rest of the wall, Laura.”

“Just watch.” Laura took a step back and looked for the marked brick at the bottom of the wall, counting her way up like Carmilla had told her, before finding the right brick. She pressed on it, and sure enough, it sank into the wall. After a moment, the telltale rumble sounded, and the embedded doorway slid to the side.

“…Vampires,” Danny said, entirely exasperated.

“Heh. You know you’re impressed,” Laura said, swinging the pack from her shoulders. “Alright, part two: in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

“Let’s just hope this works,” Danny replied, following suit.

Laura dug in her pack, eventually emerging with folded black cloth in her hands. Smirking, she stood and held the long maid’s uniform against herself. “Let’s go make some beds.”

The two, now garbed in the rather uncomfortable black-and-white uniforms of the human maids of the Karnstein estate, entered the dungeons. Their packs had been stashed behind some crates near the secret entrance, and Laura was already missing the weight of all that firepower against her.

Trying to look subservient and a little scared (the second part not too difficult), they made their way through the dungeons, walking with purpose. They passed a few guards as they went, but took care not to make eye contact, making themselves as small as possible (not an overly easy task for the pushing six-feet Danny). The guards, for their part, paid them no mind. It was astonishing how comfortable they were with ignoring any human around them dressed as a servant; Laura thought wryly that they probably regarded the servants as beneath them. As maddening as that mindset usually would’ve been to her, today it served them well. 

Keeping up the act, the two demurely made it to the main level, climbing the narrow stairs that exited in a hallway near the kitchens. Laura tried to keep the irritation off her face; this had been the stairs she’d failed to find last time, forcing her to employ LaFontaine’s pulse rifle to melt her way through the floor of the cellar. Still, she reflected a bit smugly, that aerial takedown _had_ been fun.

They passed the servants’ quarters that were situated by the kitchens, taking care not to draw the attention of any of the actual servants nearby lest they give themselves away.

Finally, they reached the public areas of the mansion, walking through the grand hall Laura had once circulated during a party, trying to get intel on the mysterious head of the Clan and meeting Carmilla instead, setting off the entire chain of events that brought her back here now. Funny how things worked. She decided then and there that once this was over she’d make Carmilla give her an actual, formal tour of the damn place. She’d just about had it with skulking.

They set off down the hall Laura had first encountered Carmilla in; though she’d been a bit occupied at the time, even then she’d realized she was entering the more private areas of the building.

Though Laura had never seen Carmilla’s rooms, she knew the vampire didn’t live in the master quarters, preferring a smaller set of rooms on the second floor because they had a balcony that opened onto the great lawn and, more importantly, provided a clear view of the sky – and the stars. How many times had the vampire gone out and gazed out into the vast expanse? At the thought, Laura’s misery over her girlfriend’s imprisonment in a dark, dank prison cell doubled. She _had_ to get her out.

They located the back staircase that led to the second floor – though there was a grand staircase in the foyer, they thought it best to avoid curious eyes, and Danny wisely pointed out that servants probably didn’t use that staircase, anyway – and hastily climbed it. There, they were greeted by several sets of doors lining a hallway, all shut.

“We only need to try rooms on the left side of the hall – they’re the ones that overlook the lawn,” Laura murmured.

“Got it.”

Without a pause, they began their search. After Danny had ascertained that there was no one within a room, Laura would quickly peek inside as the werewolf kept watch. The first two rooms were clearly unoccupied, well-appointed but probably meant for guests. The third room, however, was a surprise: elegantly furnished and obviously lived in, with several stylish dresses draped over the settee in the corner. Laura looked over her shoulder back at Danny. “I think this is Mattie’s room!”

The werewolf raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Anything interesting?”

“Probably,” Laura said, closing the door. “But we don’t have time to look into it, unfortunately.”

They moved on to the last set of double doors, and here, hit pay dirt. At least, they thought so. The door was locked, and Laura recalled Mattie saying Carmilla’s rooms had been sealed. Well, a little lock certainly wasn’t going to stop her. She gave the handle an experimental tug and smiled, before reaching into the stern bun she’d tied her hair into and pulling free several pins. At least, they looked like pins. LaFontaine had had a field day designing lock picks that could double as hair accessories.

Narrowing her eyes at the lock, she went to work. Thirty seconds later, the door swung open with a click, and Laura sat back, satisfied. She’d always passed the lock-picking exams with flying colors; her dad had never been prouder.

She ducked her head in before withdrawing and nodding at Danny. These were definitely Carm’s quarters. Danny returned the nod and took up position near the door, ready to warn her if necessary.

As Laura entered, she was struck with a thought: Mattie was rooming next to her sister. And considering just how many rooms this place had, it was definitely by choice. How unexpectedly…sweet. The two were definitely closer than Laura had first thought.

She stepped fully into the room, and immediately felt tears spring to her eyes. This was all just so… _Carm_. The place was beyond messy, of course – Laura guessed the servants hadn’t had time to clean before Mattie had ordered it sealed – with clothing strewn everywhere and glasses with blood residue littering every available surface. That, and books. They were everywhere, some still open to the page Carmilla had been reading. There was a turntable in the corner – Laura snorted, of _course_ Carmilla was the vinyl type – with a pile of records next to it.

Laura stood in the room, and realized just how much she’d missed her girlfriend the past few months. Their rushed conversations and quick meetings weren’t nearly enough, and Laura felt a surge of anger and dismay that it had taken all of this to make her to realize it, followed just as quickly by a burst of renewed determination to make it right.

She squared her shoulders. Mattie had told her that Clan Ascancia used physical totems to work their dream magic: _“Oh, you know, darling, eerie bat wings and the like. It’s all very medieval.”_

So. Bat wings. Or something. She could look for that. It would be easy. She paused, looking around the mess of the room, and winced. Okay, maybe not _that_ easy, but, well, she didn’t really have a choice. And with that, she began to search.

Ten minutes later, she paused to blow the hair out of her eyes, annoyed and tired. Where the hell _was_ it? She’d searched the bed thoroughly, looking under the mattress and bedding and even under and around it. Nothing. Nothing in the room around it, either. This was not good – without that totem, they had no proof, and no way to help Carm.

Danny poked her head in. “Any luck?”

She sighed. “Not so far.”

“Shit…do you think that hunter managed to get it out in time?”

She shrugged miserably. “It’s possible.”

“So…” Danny shifted uncomfortably. “How do we know she hasn’t already gotten rid of it entirely?”

Laura shook her head. “She can’t have gotten it off the estate yet. Servants work in two-week shifts without leaving, then get a week off.”

“Well…that’s something, I guess.”

“Yeah…” Laura looked around. “Well, we’ve got nothing to lose. Can you help me search the place one more time?”

“Yeah, sure.” Danny entered the room and they began to search once more, urgency driving their motions.

“What the hell are you two doing in here?!”

Laura barely stopped herself from jumping a foot in the air, before turning to the door. In the entryway stood a tall, fair man, clearly a vampire, who looked, in a word, pissed.

“I said, what are you two doing in here?” the man demanded, entering the room. “Ms. Belmonde has ordered this room sealed!”

Laura and Danny exchanged panicked glances. This was not how this was supposed to go. Laura forced herself to stand up straight. It was, it seemed, time for a change in plans.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the best laid plans of mice and men...


	12. Hunter vs. Hunter

“Well?! I’m waiting for what better be an amazing explanation,” the man growled.

Laura swallowed and instinctively cowered, trying to fit the image of the panicked servant. “Y-yes sir, please excuse us – we were told to clean this room.”

“Told? By whom?” he demanded. “This room has been sealed on orders of the Clan leader herself!”

“Uh- the….er, housekeeper?” Damn. She really needed to brush up on her household hierarchy. The housekeeper told servants to do things, right?

The vampire looked at her flatly. “The housekeeper.”

“Yes? I mean, yes.”

“I am finding that, little human, somewhat hard to believe,” he said. He took a slow step towards her. “In fact…I don’t believe I’ve seen you – either of you – around here before.”

Crap, crap, crap. “Yes, sir, we’re new,” she said, keeping her body very still.

“The new maids were told to clean up Carmilla Karnstein’s quarters. Of course.” He bent to peer into her face. Laura forced herself to return his gaze evenly. “Actually…you _do_ look somewhat familiar. But from where…?” She tensed. Here they go. “I’ve seen you before – ” His eyes widened comically. “Bloody hell, Laura Holl-”

He never got to finish his (correct) identification; he was suddenly quite occupied with the syringe being emptied into his neck. He grabbed for it, but his motions were already faltering – as he sank to his knees, he managed to look up to see Danny standing over him, arm still outstretched. Mouth opening in wordless astonishment, he collapsed, and was still.

They stared at him in silence for a second, then: “Holy _shit_.” Danny, breathless.

“Yeah…that was close,” Laura agreed, her own voice a bit shaky. “Nice timing, though. I didn’t think he would get so close.”

“Well…he did.” They looked at the immobile vampire again. “You know this means the plan’s been shot to hell now, right?”

“It doesn’t!” Laura said, trying to sound confident. “He’ll be out for at least the next few hours. We’ll hide him, and be out before he can raise the alarm.”

“Laura, someone’s gonna find him eventually, and then we’ll be running for our lives. And anyway, even if no one _does_ find him, he’ll still be able to tell them you were here once he wakes up. That kinda complicates the whole ‘leave no trace’ thing.”

“Danny, we’re kind of tight on choices,” Laura replied, her voice tense. “Killing him would just open up a whole new can of worms. By the time he wakes up we’ll hopefully have gotten Carm out of prison anyway.”

Danny looked dubious. Exceedingly so. “If you say so.”

“I do. Now come on,” she said, bending to grab the hapless vampire’s arms. “Help me hide him, then we need to get down to that hunter’s room ASAP.”

“The hunter’s room?”

“If that totem isn’t here, and she hasn’t been able to get off the estate, then it’ll be somewhere in her room. We have to find it, or this whole thing will have been a waste.”

They made the walk back to the servants’ quarters as quickly as they could, now hyper-aware of anyone looking at them too closely. They had hidden the vampire beneath the bed, the best option immediately available, and relocked the door after them; hopefully, that would buy them enough time to recover the totem and get the hell out of dodge undetected.

“Do we know which one of the rooms is Mayweather’s?” Danny murmured to Laura as they neared the hallway that contained the servants’ rooms. The area was quiet, the workers dispersed throughout the estate on their various tasks; the only noise at all was the faint clinking from the nearby kitchens.

Laura nodded slightly. “The estate staff roles also listed room assignments – she’s in room eight.”

The simple wooden doors lining the dimly hit hallway were mercifully numbered, and they quickly found eight. The door was locked, of course, but Laura made quick work of it as Danny kept watch; the lock was even simpler than the one sealing Carm’s room. She did, however, find something interesting as she broke in: “Danny, check this out.”

She held up a single blonde hair, barely visible.

Danny raised her eyebrows. “Paranoid thing, isn’t she?”

“Good enough sign as any that she’s hiding something,” Laura replied, carefully slipping the hair into the pocket of her apron. They would have to replace it on their way out; Mayweather had used the old trick of placing a hair into the lock. If anyone entered while she was away, the hair, imperceptible to anyone who didn’t already know it was there, would inevitably fall out, and she would be clued in.

Simple, but effective – unless, of course, the intruder was also a hunter, trained in the exact same methods. They’d never been trained in how to spy on each _other_.

Slipping inside, they surveyed the space before them. The room was small and simple, with a twin bed pushed into a corner, a desk and chair, and a plain wardrobe making up the entirety of the furnishings. There were no personal effects at all, no photos or knickknacks; it very well may have appeared unoccupied were it not for the single cardigan hanging from the hook on the wall.

“Jeez…are we sure this is hers? It’s practically abandoned,” Danny said.

Laura pursed her lips. “Looks like she’s trying to leave no trace…just like us.”

They looked at each for a moment, then nodded, decided. Laura turned to the bed, Danny, the desk, and the two began to methodically search as they’d been trained, leaving no space unturned while leaving no sign that they’d ever been there.

Neither the bed nor the desk turned up anything. The hunter had clearly covered her tracks, leaving nothing suspicious in plain view. Getting more anxious now, they turned to the wardrobe, Danny searching the left cabinet, Laura the right. As Danny felt through stacks of clothing, Laura patted down the coats hanging from the right compartment. She reached to the back, following the sleeve of a coat, when she suddenly frowned.

“Something the matter?”

“I don’t know,” Laura replied. “It’s strange…” She once again reached into the compartment, feeling the back of it, then stepped back, glaring at the wardrobe.

“Laura…?”

“Something’s off,” Laura said finally. “The depth of the cabinet doesn’t match the outside of the wardrobe – it’s shallower than it should be.”

Danny squinted at her. “Are you saying…?”

“Maybe.” Without a pause, she grabbed an armful of coats and dumped them unceremoniously on the desk, exposing the back of the cabinet. Reaching in, she began to feel along the corners and edges of the wall, looking, looking… “Yes!” Her fingers caught on a subtle indentation on either side of the wall, and hooking them in, she slowly stepped back – and took a portion of the wall with her. “Danny – it’s a false wall!”

“Nice going, Hollis!” Danny eagerly stepped up to the wardrobe as Laura gingerly balanced the segment of false wall against the bed. “Holy shit…”

“What is it?” Laura rejoined her, and they looked together on the hidden compartment concealed by the false wall. “Oh. Oh boy.”

A solid steel safe, easily over a hundred pounds, greeted their wary gazes. “Well,” Danny finally said, “Least we know she’s hiding something.”

“Uh. Yeah.” Laura looked at Danny, now clearly a bit panicked. “Danny. You have to do this.”

Danny startled. “Me?!”

“Picking locks is one thing…cracking safes is _seriously_ another. I barely passed this part of the exam,” Laura said seriously. “And I know for a fact that your exam proctor complimented you on your ‘nimble fingers’…whatever that means.”

Danny flushed. “Uh, okay, yeah, I did okay in the exam, but I’ve never done it in the field, Laura! Doing it in a classroom is way different!"

“Well, _I_ definitely can’t do it!”

They glared at each other, neither budging, until their standoff was rather rudely interrupted by an entirely different reason for panic: the shrill klaxon of an alarm, blaring through the room and into the mansion beyond.

They both immediately stiffened, reaching for various hidden daggers and syringes. “ _Shit_! How did they find him so fast?” Danny hissed. “We were supposed to have more time!"

“It doesn’t matter!” Laura shot back. “Danny, we don’t have the time – you _have_ to get that safe open. They’re going to search the entire building, and they’ll get to the servants’ quarters eventually. We need to get whatever’s in there, and then get the hell out of here!”

 “Oh god, alright,” Danny sighed, clearly consigning her soul to heaven. “But jeez, I usually do this in complete silence, not with a damn alarm in my ears!”

“Just – I don’t know, block it out! Use your wolf senses!”

Danny, looking very unimpressed at the suggestion, turned to the safe. Laura watched as the girl retreated into herself, blocking out any stimuli other than her, and the safe before her. She exhaled a single, slow breath, and then, pressing her ear to the surface, began to slowly turn the dial.

Minutes passed, the alarm blaring all the while. Laura kept close watch on the door, fully ready to spring on the first thing that burst through it. She may not have had wolf senses, but she was still a hunter through and through, and would buy the time Danny needed no matter the cost.

She stood that way for what seemed an eternity, feeling sweat slowly seep through the horrible polyester of her stolen uniform, before stealing a glance at her watch: it had been a full seven minutes. The guards must have completed the sweep of the second and third stories by now; Laura wouldn’t be surprised if they sprang through the door in the next minute.

She hated to interrupt Danny, but it had to be done: “Danny, how’s it looking?”

The other girl didn’t look at her as she continued her painstaking work. “Almost…there…”

Laura barely kept herself from snapping at the girl; it would serve no purpose but to distract her. Turning fully to Danny, hoping to see if she could guess how far along the other hunter was, she missed the doorknob silently turning, and the door noiselessly swinging inward on perfectly oiled hinges.

Realizing almost immediately that the door was open, the noise from the hallway much louder, Laura wheeled to face the intruder – and stopped short. There, in the doorway, stood the treacherous hunter herself: Emily Mayweather. The tall blonde, similarly dressed in the servants’ uniform of Clan Karnstein, was clearly out breath, and Laura thought that she must have raced to her room to secure whatever it was she was hiding before the guards reached it.

Mayweather stared back at her, then looked to Danny; the girl was still deep in her task, completely ignoring all else. Her eyes widened in understanding and recognition, and Laura saw as the split-second fight-or-flight decision took place in her mind: fight them, and prevent them from obtaining the evidence, or flee and warn her masters that their plan had been compromised?

Laura knew exactly when the choice was made, and was already moving. As the traitor turned to race down the hall and to whatever escape route she no doubt already had planned, Laura reached and inelegantly grabbed the back of her collar, pulling her back into the room. At the yank, Mayweather immediately turned and shoved Laura away; she collided with the still ajar door, and it closed with a bang – sealing the three of them into the room.

Laura smirked – now, for the traitor to escape, she would have to get through her. And she had no plans to let that happen. Mayweather snarled in frustration, and, without a pause, leapt at Laura.

The two held nothing back. Laura had been sparring with other hunters, with Danny, with the instructors, with anyone who would fight her, really, for as long as she could remember, and considered herself a force to be reckoned with. But, as she fought the hunter from House Keller, she realized that those spars, intense as they were, were ultimately still just spars.

This was a fight to the death, if Mayweather had her way. She clearly understood that she literally couldn’t afford to be captured, and was just as clearly willing to kill her opponent to see that it didn’t happen. She wasn’t a lightweight, either. House Keller had clearly sent one of their best fighters undercover, and she wasn’t pulling any punches, meeting Laura blow for blow. Laura, many layers below her concentration and adrenalin, was grudgingly impressed; the traitor was _good_ , keeping Laura on her toes and fully engaged. They moved around the room, the tight confines limiting their range, Laura purposefully keeping her away from Danny. She snuck a quick glance at Danny – the girl was still totally absorbed in the safe – only to be rewarded with a tight punch to the jaw she only barely dodged, even the graze knocking her off balance.

“That inattention’ll get you killed, Hollis,” Mayweather snarled as she attempted a follow-up.

“I don’t communicate with traitors,” Laura replied smoothly, batting away the fist and pivoting to aim a sharp side-kick at her head.

The traitor, for her part, dodged it. “ _You’re_ the traitor,” she spat as she moved.

Laura didn’t bother replying, and they continued on. Both did manage to score blows on the other, and in time, both were looking worse for the wear, Laura sporting a split lip and cut above her eyebrow and Mayweather a bloody nose. Gradually, Laura realized they were more or less evenly matched, and that neither could maintain this speed forever. Something would have to give.

She spied the plank of wood that had served as the false wall still leaning against the bed frame, and a kernel of an idea took hold: if there was one lesson she had taken to heart, it was that the hunters couldn’t afford to be afraid to play dirty. And it looked like she may just have a way to put that into practice.

As they continued their deadly revolution of the room, she slowly started inching towards the bed, forcing her opponent to come after her. Mayweather pulled back, clearly preparing to unleash a barrage of blows but paused as Laura suddenly looked over her shoulder, her eyes widening: “Danny! You opened it!”

The Keller hunter instinctively turned to the safe, where her precious cargo was stored – and Laura seized her chance. Snatching up the false wall, she took aim and proceeded to unceremoniously break it over Mayweather’s head. The hunter dropped like a stone.

Laura stood over her, breathing hard, gradually becoming aware of a variety of aches and pains all over her body – oh god, waking up tomorrow would _not_ be fun. She knelt and checked the fallen hunter’s pulse – she was clearly out for the count, but with some basic medical care would be fine. She winced, holding a hand to her ribs as a sudden stab of pain sliced through her. Looks like _she_ could use some medical care of her own.

“Nice work, Hollis.”

She looked up to see Danny standing over her, a wry smile on her face. “Did you use the cabinet wall? Jeez, remind me not to piss you off.” The girl then stepped aside, revealing the safe door hanging open. “You get a prize for winning, though.”

Laura sprang to her feet, pain forgotten. “You really did open it! Danny, you’re amazing!”

Danny reddened. “Yeah, yeah. Sorry it took so long. The vicious fight going on around me was a little distracting.”

“I think that’s a reasonable excuse.” She walked to the safe and examined the contents. Danny watched as a triumphant grin spread across her face. “I’m guessing it’s good?”

Laura just kept smiling. “Come see for yourself.”

Danny joined her, and they looked together down at vials of holy water, a stake, and at the back, in a ziploc bag – a bat wing, inscribed with runes.

“The totem!” Laura seized it. “Oh, thank god. I was seriously freaking out back in Carm’s room.”

“Looks like you were right,” Danny said. She peered at the various weapons of mayhem. “All this stuff will probably help prove our case, too.”

“You’re right.” Laura moved to the bed and pulled the pillow case off the pillow. “Here. Let’s put everything in here and get the heck out of here.”

As she turned to the safe, they both stiffened at the sound of shouts, sounding close. “Shit! The guards!” She hastily swept the safe’s contents into the makeshift sack, and then, job done, turned to see Danny staring down at Mayweather’s still form.

“Something the matter?”

Danny blinked down at her. “Uh…are we just gonna leave her here?”

Laura blinked right back at her. “That’s…what I was planning on, yeah.”

“Laura, who knows what the vamps’ll do to her to find out what happened!”

Laura took a second to reply, so surprised was she by Danny’s sudden reaction. “Danny…this person is a _traitor_. She betrayed us all…she betrayed _Carm_.” She shrugged. “I don’t think some justice is a bad thing.”

Danny shook her head. “So let’s make sure she gets it. The legitimate kind.” A sudden thought struck her. “And having her in our custody for further interrogation can only help, right?”

Laura sighed. “I mean, maybe…but how are we exactly supposed to move her? She’s dead weight, and we’re just two people. We need to move as fast as we can.”

Danny paused for a moment. Then, looking decided, said, “So let’s move as fast as we can.”

“Uh, yes, Danny, I just said that-” Danny’s full meaning struck her. “Oh no, no way. We’re trying to be _discreet_ , remember?”

“Look around, Laura!” Danny swept an arm around the destroyed room, the alarm blaring above them. “Our cover is blown as it is. May as well go all out – we can clear up everything afterwards.”

“Danny…”

“This is our best option.” Danny pulled her apron over her head. “While I do this, can you make strips out of the bedsheet and tie her wrists?”

Laura sighed but did as she was told. As she worked, she kept her back turned – seeing Danny shift to her wolf form always made her feel a bit anxious, seeing the cloth tearing and limbs rippling and folding into the form of another creature.

A growl sounded behind her, and she turned to see an enormous, reddish wolf staring at her, blue eyes intent. She sighed again. “I hope you’re sure about this…”

The wolf – Danny – just tossed her head impatiently, and Laura hastily knelt and bound Mayweather’s hands and feet; the last thing they could afford was the girl waking up and trying to kill them as they escaped. Getting her hands under the girl, she focused her strength and lifted her, wincing at the pressure of Mayweather’s dead weight against her bruised ribs.

Turning to Danny, she nodded at the wolf and laid the hunter over her, using the extra cloth strips to tie her in place. Then, after cracking the door open and making sure the sack was secure, she got on behind the still form of the hunter – Danny in this form was easily big enough to handle the two of them.

Laura glanced around the shambles of the room and winced – Danny was right, there was no way they could hide their presence – and then, leaning forward, tapped the wolf on the head.

Danny looked back at Laura – the girl forced a smile – and they were off. The wolf, handling the weight of her passengers well, wheeled around the door into the hallway, speeding down it and around the corner. As they turned it, the shouts grew distinctly louder, and Laura turned her head to see the guards appear at the other end of the hallway – but then they were racing past the kitchens, making for the stairs leading down to the dungeons and secret passage to the tunnels within.

Laura, for her part, was clinging to Danny’s scruff with one hand, the other keeping Mayweather’s unconscious form in place as the werewolf thundered into the dungeons – the only good thing about the alarm being triggered was that the guards down there had abandoned their posts to look for the intruders – and in the process very kindly left the path wide open for them instead.

Danny skidded to a stop at the concealed opening to the tunnels, and Laura hastily jumped off and turned the sconce. The wall rumbled to the side, and as Laura climbed back on to the wolf’s back, she was forcibly reminded of the last time she had raced through these tunnels: on the back of panther-Carm, rushing to put a stop to a deranged plan. She was on a werewolf’s back, now, but rushing to stop another deranged plan just the same.

As they entered the tunnels, Laura leaned down and scooped up their packs, still stashed behind the crates, as Danny sped past. They sprinted down the pitch-black of the tunnels, Laura trusting Danny’s vision to see them through. They retraced their steps, making good time, but at the final fork, instead of breaking back towards the tunnel that led to the ladder, Danny suddenly veered down the opposite tunnel.

Laura opened her mouth to shout a question at the wolf, but stopped just as quickly when her ears picked up what Danny’s already had: shouts echoing down the tunnel. She cursed; had they closed off that exit? They couldn’t hope to make their way through all of them – so Danny had rightly decided to turn down the other tunnel. Where it led…they would soon find out.

The ground began to gradually slope up, and Laura hoped that they at least would soon be back above ground – running in the complete darkness put her on edge. At least up there, she would be able to _see_ her enemies.

The path suddenly ended at a wooden trapdoor, slits of moonlight visible through it. Laura slid off Danny’s back and pushed the door open; it fell back with a dull thud, revealing the night sky. She cautiously poked her head above the opening, and saw that they were standing among a group of bushes near the mansion. Turning, her eyes widened as she saw that they were only several hundred feet away from the side gate they had sneaked through on their first mission to the estate. If they could get to it, she was confident that, with the guards in disarray, she could get them through to safety.

She leaned back into the tunnel and whispered her findings to Danny, who inclined her head in understanding before springing out of the tunnel to land among the bushes. Laura climbed back on, and they were off. She watched as they hurtled closer and closer to the gate – come on, come on – but her heart sank as she heard a cry behind her. Laura turned to see a vampire pointing at them, shouting for back-up. She leaned to Danny’s ear. “They’re coming after us!”

The wolf sped up in response, but Laura knew that she couldn’t go much faster saddled with two passengers and equipment as she was.

They neared the gate, but the shouts behind them were nearing as well – and a chill of dread came over Laura as she realized they wouldn’t be able stop for her to break the lock on the gate. No, _no_ – it could not end like this, not when they were so close. She winced as something heavy, attached to one of the packs, thudded against her tender ribs. She grabbed it in irritation – only to stare at the pulse rifle – LaFontaine’s newest model. She stared at it, her eyes widening – this could work, this could really work!

“Danny – don’t stop, run straight at the gate!” The wolf yipped in response.

Laura fired up the rifle, recalling LaF’s eager comments on how much more powerful it was than the old model. Seeing how that one had blown up half the lab, she had a few trepidations, but hey, they didn’t have that many options.

They were sixty feet from the gate, the vampires closing in – and from their shouts, they weren’t happy. Fifty now, forty – Laura raised the gun and flicked the switch up to the highest intensity. Then, she squeezed the trigger.

For a second, nothing happened. Then, without warning, a thick beam shot from the rifle, hitting the metal of the gate head on. She dragged the rifle in a horizontal line, causing the beam to cut cleanly through the entire width of the gate. Laura let the trigger go, and watched as the melted gate seemed to waver for a second, before the entire top half of the gate simply collapsed.

Danny let out a triumphant bark and then, as they came within five feet of the gate, surged forward and leapt it, clearing the newly shortened gate with ease.

Laura turned her head as they sped away, seeing the vampires stop and stare agape at the ruins of the gate. She felt a sheepish smile spread across her face. So much for discreet. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Without a trace...heh.


	13. Judgment Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this...an update?! Agh, I'm so sorry for the major delay! Midterms and job interviews have pretty much robbed me of all free time and creative energy...UNTIL NOW. We're nearing the end now, folks!
> 
> Also, can we talk about the end of season 2? DANNY. MATTIE. KIRSCH?? TRAUMA. TRAUMA EVERYWHERE.

The silence stretched out into minutes, Laura stamping out the urge to nervously fidget in her seat as they did; the tension in the stuffy air of the study was thick enough to slice. Besides her, Danny sat in similar restrained anxiety, studiously ignoring the piercing eyes of the duo across from them – avoiding one set especially.

Finally, William Hollis broke the tense quiet, his voice strained. “So let me get this straight. The woman currently unconscious in our medical ward is – _allegedly_ – a House Keller hunter that has been working undercover as a servant at the Karnstein estate, and while there, has been aiding Clan Ascancia in their plot to – _allegedly_ – possess Carmilla Karnstein, eventually compelling her to murder Sarah Jane Koenig in public, effectively torpedoing the treaty, neutralizing Clan Karnstein as a power among the clans, and bringing relations between the clans and houses to their lowest level since the first peace.”

Danny and Laura exchanged glances. “Uh…yes.”

“And to uncover this… _conspiracy_ ,” Melissa Lawrence said, smoothly picking up where Hollis had left off, “You two decided that the best course of action would be to sneak in to the Karnstein estate – _again_ – where you then incapacitated a Karnstein vampire, triggered the alarm, fought Emily Mayweather, and recovered your evidence. And to leave…remind me, Danny, what happened next?”

Danny looked up from her intense inspection of her lap, her face reddening as she finally met the narrowed eyes of her mother. “I…um, decided to shift to my wolf form so that-” 

“Ah, yes, your wolf form,” Melissa interrupted, her voice so sharp Laura had to suppress the urge to check her extremities for cuts. “The same form that House Lawrence has spent countless decades and _lives_ working to conceal, but that you felt obliged to whip out at the first whiff of danger, and then proceeded to gallivant in full moonlight across the grounds of the Karnstein estate.”

Danny’s face, which had been increasingly reddening, abruptly paled. “Mom-”

“No, no, no need to explain anything. I am, after all, only the head of your _house_. And you’ve made your opinion on how much you respect _that_ quite clear.”

Danny stared at her, stunned and shamed into silence. The silence in the room threatened to stretch out again – until it was broken by a very apprehensive Laura. “Um…Ms. Lawrence, if Danny hadn’t used the wolf we would’ve been captured…it’s only thanks to her that we were able to get out and take Mayweather with us.”

Melissa stared at her implacably for a long moment before abruptly sighing. “Be that as it may, Laura, I don’t think either of you appreciate the gravity of your actions.”

“Nor do I,” Hollis cut in, looking increasingly aggravated. “We are all on tenterhooks right now, trying our damndest to keep from plunging ourselves into war – and meanwhile you two are injecting vampires with holy water right and left and brawling with hunters in basements! Of all the high-handed, hare-brained-- These are the actions of base, untrained children – _not_ heirs to hunter houses!”

“We weren’t just doing it for fun!” Laura burst out. “Dad, this was the only way we could help Carm! And – and even besides her, getting that evidence proves that Sarah Jane’s death wasn’t a random murder, but the result of very real collusion between a clan and a house! That’s treason!”

“Laura, those are some very serious allegations,” he replied, his voice low. “And in any case, I don’t think you are in any position to talk about treason.”

She felt herself flinch, but forced down the host of immediate responses that sprang up at the comment.

Immediate chastising done with, her father exchanged glances with Melissa before sitting back in his heavy desk chair. “But…while we are _not_ done discussing this, in the meantime I took the liberty of having the labs test that so-called totem for authenticity.”

She mentally thanked LaFontaine. “And?”

“And…the tests checked out,” he said, his dripping with reluctance. “It matches with every other Ascancia totem we have in our archives. The identification of the hunter you brought, Mayweather, has been confirmed as well. She’s one of Keller’s.”

“So you believe us!” Laura said excitedly.

He exchanged glances with Melissa again before sighing. “Laura…do you appreciate what it is that you’re suggesting? A conspiracy between vampires and _hunters_? This will shake the foundations of the alliance between the houses – and no doubt that of  the clans as well.”

“It’s not like I’m the one who thought of it,” she said, annoyed. “It clearly wasn’t a concern for Keller or Ascancia.”

He nodded slowly, looking deeply troubled. “I can’t imagine what Klaus is thinking, or hopes to achieve. This plan, if true, is utter insanity…”

Melissa shook her head. “I know that you’ve been wondering why he suddenly became so agreeable after all but spitting fire when we first met, William, just as I have.”

He turned to her. “Yes, but _treason?_ Working with the vampires? He hates vampires, sometimes even beyond reason.”

She shrugged. “Perhaps he hates this treaty even more.”

Hollis squeezed the bridge of his nose in response.

“Um – Dad? Not to interrupt, but can we free Carm now?” Laura said, trying to hide her impatience. “Since, you know, we’ve proved her innocence and all.”

There was a long pause as he looked across at her. Finally: “I’m afraid it’s not that simple, Laura.”  
  
“What do you mean? We proved that she was just a tool, she wasn’t behind this!”

He looked uncomfortable. “Laura…we haven’t proved anything, at least not publicly. And the fact remains that she _did_ kill Sarah Jane, no matter the circumstances.”

“Like I said – she wasn’t in control of herself! She doesn’t even remember doing it!” she snapped, aware that her voice was rising but powerless to stop it.

“William – just tell her,” Melissa suddenly said, looking intently at him.

“Tell me? Tell me what?”

 He sighed. “Laura…while you were gone…the houses set a date for Miss Karnstein’s execution. In two days’ time.”

She stared at him. Five seconds went by, ten. Then: “They what?” she said faintly, dimly aware of Danny sitting up straight next to her. “They _what_?”

“Laura-”

“And you – what, you just let this happen? Did you agree to it? No trial, no delay – straight to _killing_ her?”

“The clans agreed to it, Laura!”

“ _What_?”

He rubbed a hand down his face, looking exhausted. “They seemed quite…eager to sacrifice her, if only to ward off the brunt of our anger.”

She sat back, utterly speechless.

“Clan Karnstein was not part of those negotiations,” he finished quietly. “Ms. Belmonde does not know."

“So what are we gonna do now?” Laura turned to see Danny looking unwaveringly at Hollis. “You can’t let them go ahead with it. Not with what you know now.” She turned to meet her mother’s eyes, no longer avoidant. “It wouldn’t be right.”

Melissa met her daughter’s gaze squarely, before letting out a breath and turning to Hollis. “William.”

“Mel…”

“She’s right, Will. They both are.”

He paused for a second before nodding once. “Of course.”

She turned to the girls. “We need to discuss how we’re going to play this. Anything too obvious and the guilty parties will get spooked, maybe run. We can’t have that. But I promise you,” she said, shifting now to regard Laura, “no harm will come to Carmilla Karnstein.”

* * *

In many ways, House Hollis’ judgment hall matched the aesthetic of the rest of compound: cold, austere, and solemn, with high vaulted ceilings and severe stone columns. Wooden benches – almost pews – were lined in descending squares around the center of the room, where an area of raised stone lay. A single steel ring had been sunk into the stone so that only the top half was exposed. Aside from that, the area lay bare.

Laura couldn’t look away from the ring. From where she was sitting, in the front row, she had a very good view of it, its presence stolid and unwavering. That, and the reddish stains around it that she _knew_ weren’t there, but could see all the same, seemed to mock her, and she suppressed the urge to rise and leave for the umpteenth time.

She hated being here. She _shouldn’t_ be here. She should’ve been with Carm; god only knew what the vampire was going through right now. She closed her eyes as she thought back to their last meeting, a hurried and strained interaction; now that Carmilla was officially on death row, access to her was limited, and the number of guards had tripled, now counting hunters from every house – making for an awkward conversation indeed.

_She leaned into the gate of the cell, trying to hide her tension and keep her voice low. “Hey, Carm.”_

_“Laura.”_

_“How – how are you?”_

_Carmilla just looked at her._

_“Right – stupid question.”_

_Carmilla cracked a joyless smile. “Just lounging in the cell that I call my home, waiting for death. Couldn’t be better, cupcake.”_

_“Carm…” She waited until Carmilla met her eyes, trying to make clear everything she couldn’t say aloud. “Mattie says hi. And that you should sleep easier these days, without anything to disturb you.”_

_Carmilla’s eyebrows slowly rose. “Oh?”_

_She opened her mouth to say more, but it turned to a sigh as one of the guards tapped her on the shoulder. “Miss Hollis. Excuse me, but time’s up.”_

_She nodded. “Of course.” She looked back at Carmilla. “I’ll see you at the judgment hall, Carmilla.”_

Now, Laura just hoped that she hadn’t made a very large mistake, putting her trust in the hands of everyone around her, and by doing so, taking the ability to act out of her own. She’d argued vociferously against it, but Melissa Lawrence hadn’t budged. _“We can’t let Klaus or anyone from Clan Ascancia think anything’s amiss, Laura. Trust in the plan.”_

She sighed. Trust in the plan, indeed. Easier said then done – not when so much rode on its success.

She started as someone nudged her, and turned to see Danny gazing at her from her place next to her, eyes worried. “Hey. You okay?”

She didn’t bother to force a smile. “Been better.”

Danny nodded solemnly, before abruptly lowering her voice. “We’re almost through this, Hollis. Just keep it together.”

Laura nodded before looking away, out into the stands. “Looks like the gang’s all here.”

Danny followed her gaze, finding the House Keller delegation seated in a group near the top. They, and the rest of the hunters in the room, were still dressed in dark mourning clothing, and Laura felt a burst of anger at their treachery once more. She wondered if Klaus Keller had once had a second thought about ordering the murder of Sarah Jane. She studied the old man’s face, finding it devoid of all pity. Probably not.

Danny nudged her again and nodded her head at the opposite side of the room. There, the small group sent to represent the vampire clans sat. While Laura didn’t know them nearly as well, she’d been made to memorize the names and faces of every clan head years before, and recognized the head of Clan Ascancia sitting there, a sleek, well-groomed man who looked about forty and was probably many times that. She felt another flash of fury. So he’d come to see his plans come to fruition as well. She scanned the rest of the group, confirming that Mattie wasn’t there. Good. With any luck, the rest would assume that she hadn’t come out of protest, or because she couldn’t bear to see the execution. She snorted lightly. If they thought the latter, they didn’t know Mattie at all.

She looked around the rest of the room, seeing contingents from the rest of the houses all present. Everyone had turned out, eager to see the daughter of Hans Koenig receive justice. Well. They would get their wish, if perhaps not in the way they expected.

The creaking of the great double doors caught her attention, and she turned with the rest of the crowd to see her father leading the slow procession entering the hall. As head of the house under whose roof the execution was taking place, he would be overseeing the proceedings. From the grave expression on his face, it seemed he’d rather be anywhere else.

Behind him came several Hollis hunters, heavily armed, followed by – her heart dropped at the sight of Carmilla. The vampire was wearing a medieval set of manacles that somehow connected to a metal bar attached to a heavy collar around her neck. The entire contraption looked incredibly uncomfortable, and between that and the retinue of black-cloaked and hooded executioners encircling her, she looked more pissed than Laura had seen her in a while.

Laura felt an involuntary flicker of hysterical humor – even in the face of death, Carmilla could be trusted to find annoyance from within herself.

The moment of levity went as quickly as it had come at the sight of the chief executioner following behind Carmilla, the figure’s face completely concealed by their hood, and in their hands was an enormous sword, runes carved along the sheath. Laura had seen it before – it usually hung on the wall of the dungeons, representing the authority and laws all hunters lived under. She had never seen it used in a live execution, much less on a vampire. She swallowed the bile rising in her throat – if all went to plan, she wouldn’t see it today, either.

_God, mom, anyone…please. Help us._

Behind them came the last of the procession: Hans Koenig, his eyes red-rimmed and deep lines carved into his face, with his heir Leo at his side, a group of grim Koenig hunters ending the line.

The procession continued into the center of the room, the Hollis and Koenig hunters forming a circle around the raised stone. Hans and Leo stood at one side, watching as the executioners moved Carmilla to the raised area before forcing her to her knees. One of them quickly knelt and connected the length of chain hanging from the manacles to the steel ring sunk into the stone, rendering her completely immobile. The task done, he nodded at Hollis.

The man returned the nod before turning to address the room at large, his own black cloak swishing around his boots. “Hunters of the six houses. Guests. We gather here today, in a time of sorrow, for a single purpose: to balance the scales of justice. The accused has been found guilty of the murder of one of our own: Sarah Jane Koenig, of House Koenig. Nothing can replace a life – especially one snuffed out in such a heartless manner. Accordingly, to issue anything less than the most severe punishment available to us would be inexcusable. Thus, the houses, with the agreement of the clans, sentence the accused, Carmilla Karnstein, to death by execution. To be carried out here, today.”

He glanced at Laura – she couldn’t imagine what her face looked like – before looking back out at the crowd. “Let us begin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I would just like to defensively say that I totally had this outlined and conceived before I saw the season finale!! Although, who knows, perhaps this execution will go more successfully than that one did... [cackle]
> 
> Anyway, thank you for your patience and for reading! Hope you enjoyed!


	14. Balancing the Scales

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's go time, folks.

“Let us begin.”

The dreaded words rang through the silence of the hall, hardly a breath disturbing the quiet as all eyes settled on the center of the room.

Laura squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to keep it together.

Believe in the plan. Believe in the plan. _Believe in the goddamn plan._

She could repeat those words to herself all she liked, but that didn’t make the scene unfolding before her any easier to bear.

In front of her, Carmilla was on her knees, restrained and subdued before the combined might of the six hunter houses and – to add insult to injury – the vampire clans as well. And all for a crime she wasn’t responsible for.

Laura stared at her, knowing that her expression would give her away to anyone who bothered to look but unable to care. Plan or no plan, that was her _girlfriend_ kneeling there, about to be sent to death for the final time. She blinked furiously, willing away any wetness, silently pleading for Carmilla to look up from her stubborn study of the floor.

But the other girl didn’t budge, perhaps preferring to pretend that the hall full of people around her was simply not there, that the very literal sword hanging over her head was of no concern. Laura, her shoulders slumped, finally gave up and turned her gaze back to her father, who had been conferring in hushed tones with the group of executioners surrounding Carmilla.

Apparently reaching consensus, he nodded and turned back to the crowd. “Tradition demands that I give one last opportunity of mercy to the accused. Thus: is there anyone here who can give any reason that Carmilla Karnstein should be granted mercy from this fate?”

The question was met with silence. Laura felt her muscles tensing, her blood flooding with panicked adrenalin; she knew she wasn’t supposed say or do anything here, it was an incredibly risky move, but dammit, she couldn’t sit idly by and do nothing! She had evidence, for god’s sake!

She surged to her feet, heedless of the attention in the room snapping immediately to her; she dimly noticed Klaus Keller sitting up straight, his eyes narrowing. “I have something-”

But she didn’t get any further; a hand clamped down over her mouth, neatly cutting her off. She half turned to see Danny behind her, her eyes blazing, as the room broke out into murmurs; in her peripheral vision she could see the head of Clan Ascancia staring at her unblinkingly.

“Laura? What is the meaning of this?!” her father snapped, his face flushing.

“Please excuse her, Mr. Hollis. She took Sarah Jane’s death really hard and hasn’t been acting right the last couple of days,” Danny answered smoothly, pitching her voice so that it cut through the rising murmurs. “She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”

Laura, for her part, was attempting to get out of Danny’s chokehold, fury overcoming her – what the hell was Danny _doing_? –  but the werewolf’s arms were like stone, and she – well aware of Laura’s fighting abilities – was standing just out of reach.

Her father, meanwhile, was looking more incensed for the second. “That is- I don’t- just get her _out_ of here, Lawrence! This is unacceptable!”

“Yes, sir.” Danny stepped away from the benches, and began to pull Laura away, moving so gingerly it was clear that she expected the other girl to lash out at any second. Laura was straining in vain against Danny’s iron grip, uncaring of the scene she was making, when she chanced a look at Carmilla, still kneeling on the ground – and the fight drained out of her.

The vampire was staring at her, finally, _finally_ looking up from the damn ground. And her expression…Laura had never seen such naked emotion in Carmilla’s eyes: frank despair mixed with what could only be identified as unadulterated _love_ shone out at her, and she felt tears spring to her eyes immediately in response. She desperately tried to pull free from Danny, but it was hopeless; she could only stare back at Carmilla as Danny dragged her away.

“Well, Hollis? Is the sideshow done with?” It was Klaus Keller, speaking with such smug satisfaction that Laura – even through her haze of grief – wanted to punch him.

William snapped away from his tortured inspection of Laura. “I- yes, of course.” He turned to Hans, the man still standing to the side. “Please excuse my daughter; I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”

“Let’s just get this over with,” the other man replied, all good cheer drained from him; behind him, up in the stands, Klaus settled comfortably in his seat.

“Just so.” Hollis nodded at the executioners. They nodded as one, taking a step back from Carmilla. Except for one – the chief executioner, who, still draped and hooded in his long cloak, stepped up to the bound girl, and then, in a single long movement, unsheathed the great sword hanging at his side.

Laura felt a noise of pure despair escape from her throat, muffled by Danny’s hand. She could still feel Carmilla’s eyes on her, the other girl apparently uncaring of anything – not the room, not the sword – but her. Danny and she were almost at the door now; though they had attracted much disapproval as they moved to the exit, the events at the center of the room had recaptured all attention, and the two were all but forgotten in the furor.

“Let this act balance the scales, and bring the guilty to justice,” her father intoned.

At that, Danny released Laura, the action going unseen as all eyes stayed fixed on the middle of the room. The two nodded at each other before blurring into action, racing up one of the staircases framing the double doors – stairs that led into the stands.

As they moved, Laura kept an eye on the proceedings, seeing the familiar lines of the executioner’s face, barely visible under the hood, as they raised the sword. She saw Carmilla close her eyes and bow her head, finally, it seemed, yielding to her fate.

The hooded figure paused for a moment, the sword hovering in the air, as if preparing themselves. The moment stretched out, longer, longer – and then, they brought the sword down.

Laura grinned as the distinctive noise of metal on metal rang through the hall. They were nearing their target, now, but she chanced a look down to see Carmilla slowly raise her head, blinking confusedly. Her confusion matched the growing puzzlement of the crowd – after all, that stroke was meant to kill the vampire, and the vampire was very much not dead.

The crowd’s bewilderment shifted to outrage as Carmilla, after a moment, raised her manacled wrists – no longer linked to the ring sunken in the stone. The executioner’s blow had severed the chain. Before anyone could articulate a cry or demand, the hooded figure was raising the sword again, and brought it down once more – raising a shower of sparks as they severed the manacles binding Carmilla’s wrists.

With that, the figure stepped defensively in front of Carmilla, the sword raised in challenge – pausing only to push their hood back, revealing Kirsch’s unusually serious face. The hovering group of fellow executioners immediately followed suit, forming a defensive circle around the perplexed Carmilla, pulling crossbows and – more directly – Uzis from underneath their cloaks as they did, and pushing back their hoods to reveal LaFontaine, Perry, and several of Kirsch’s hunter bros.

Hans staggered back, looking completely stunned. “William? I- what- _what is the meaning of this_?!"

“It means, I’m afraid, treason,” Hollis replied, his face grim. “And before you ask – not on my part.”

“What on earth are you on about? Have you lost your mind?!”

“You might direct your questions to _him_ ,” Hollis said, pointing a steady hand.

The room followed his indication, turning as one to where he was pointing – to see Klaus Keller sitting, his mouth hanging open in shock. When he saw the heads turning he quickly stiffened, assuming his best tones of haughtiness. “I have no bloody idea what you’re talking about, Hollis! Are you implying that _I_ somehow made that Karnstein girl kill Hans’ daughter?!”

“I think that Emily Mayweather had some very interesting things to say about what you’ve been up to, Klaus,” Hollis replied, his voice even.

At the mention of the hunter, Keller lost all semblance of indignation, the blood draining from his face. Seemingly coming to a decision, he reached into his cloak. But his movement was arrested, whatever he was about to pull out not nearly as interesting as the dagger being pushed against his throat.

“Make another move, and we’ll see just soft your traitorous neck is,” Laura breathed, her eyes glinting with murderous rage.

He swallowed once, twice, before finding his voice. “My guards! Where…”

“They’re a bit occupied right now,” she said sweetly. Keller turned his head as much as he could, painfully aware of the dagger, only to freeze at the scene behind him: Danny, backed up by a number of her cousins, each holding a dagger to the throat of a Keller hunter.

His horror was cut short as his own dagger was pushed in firmer. “So you see – I think it’s time you appreciate the seriousness of your situation, Keller.”

“How- how could I _make_ that wretched vampire kill the Koenig girl? This is preposterous!” He raised his voice as much as possible, keenly aware of the roomful of hunters now judging his every move.

Laura’s father cleared his throat. “In that, you are right, Klaus. In many ways, you were just a stooge…for _them_.”

The crowd again followed his pointing finger, landing on the seated vampires of Clan Ascancia. Unlike House Keller, they did not bother trying to plead their innocence; instead, they smoothly rose, no doubt preparing to vanish in the dark smoke that all their kind could conjure.

But before any of them could try it, a cloud of smoke settled upon them, belonging to none of them; it disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving in its place a vampire standing behind each Ascancia vampire. Renewed murmurs broke out through the room at the sight of Mattie, standing behind the head of Clan Ascancia and holding his head at a painful angle, her fangs gleaming in the light.

“Hello, Dietrich, _so_ good to see you again. Though I wish it could be under more pleasant circumstances,” she said, her voice dripping in saccharine sweetness. “You know, when you’re not conspiring to bring down my clan and _murder_ my little sister.”

The clan head – Dietrich, apparently – let out a pained gasp in response, possibly because his vocal cords were strained just short of snapping.

“Clan Ascancia is known for their ability to manipulate others via dream magic,” Hollis said conversationally, addressing the room at large. “Did you know.”

The silence stretched out for a moment, two: then all hell broke loose, hunters and vampires alike hurling shouts of outrage, confusion, and general anger at Hollis and each other.

He let it continue for a minute before trying to gain order, raising a hand for silence. He got his wish after some moments. “All questions will be answered in good time. Suffice it to say that, unfortunately, both the hunter houses and vampire clans have been played. It pains me to say that House Keller and Clan Ascancia have been conspiring – _together_ – to frame Carmilla Karnstein for the death of Sarah Jane Koenig, in a bid to discredit her, her clan, and the treaty.”

He let the resulting murmurs continue for a moment before speaking again. “I know that this is hard to believe. But we have evidence that proves it beyond any doubt. I promise that the heads of the houses _will_ get to the bottom of this.” He turned to gesture to Mattie. “And will work closely with the vampire clans to understand just how it happened.” She inclined her head in acknowledgement. “For now, though, the accused parties will be taken into custody, Ascancia to Clan Karnstein and Keller to me.” He nodded at some unseen group. “Guards.”

Groups of elite Hollis hunters appeared from their hidden place in the wings, moving into the stands where Keller and his hunters sat. They quickly relieved Laura, Danny, and the rest of their charges, taking the sorry bunch into custody and hauling them away. Whispers and looks followed the group through the entire march to the exit, and Laura knew that, whatever else happened, Klaus Keller was done as head of his house. Good riddance.

Mattie, for her part, had – after winking at Laura from the other side of the stands – motioned to her vampires, and the group disappeared in a single cloud of smoke, taking the Ascancia vampires with them.

At the exit, the crowd, sensing that the show for today was more or less over, began to slowly stand, some making their way to the exits and murmuring in astonishment all the while.

And Laura could wait no more. She’d been more or less vibrating with impatience from the moment her father had begun his short explanation, her gaze continually tugged to Carmilla. The other girl was barely visible within her protective circle of would-be executioners, and Laura had wanted nothing more than to knock out the traitorous idiot she’d been assigned and _go_ to her.

She’d mastered the urge, and now there was finally nothing keeping her in place. Giving a quick nod to Danny, she raced down the steps of the stands, cleanly jumping the final barrier and landing on to the stone of the room’s center. Sidestepping her father – who was off to one side, talking intently to a shell-shocked Hans Koenig – she raced up to the guards encircling Carmilla. They parted at the sight of her, LaFontaine shooting her a smile.

But Laura didn’t see it. She saw nothing but Carmilla.

The vampire was still sitting on the ground, no longer kneeling now that her bonds had been cut. The bulky collar was still clasped around her neck, but in that moment it looked like she couldn’t care less, no doubt mirroring the emotions Laura was sure were evident on her own face. Awe. Pain. Love. And…reverence. Like she’d _saved_ her.

And then, finally. “Hi,” Laura said, her voice shaking.

At that, Carmilla cracked a small smile. “Hey, cupca-”

She wasn’t able to finish her greeting, the words cut off by Laura nearly tackling her in a hug. She froze for a moment before wrapping her arms around Laura, the grip tightening as Laura buried her head in Carmilla’s shoulder.

They stayed that way for several long moments, Carmilla braving out her increasingly soaked shoulder, safely ensconced within the protective circle of guards.

Finally, Laura pulled away a bit, sniffing. Carmilla wiped away the remnants of wetness on her cheeks before chancing a smile, which Laura tremulously returned.

“I got interrupted the first time, so: hey, cupcake.”

Laura let out a watery laugh. “Hey.”

“You saved me,” Carmilla said wonderingly.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do it sooner,” Laura said miserably. “But the plan-”

“You _chose_ me. No one’s ever done that before.”

Laura let out a breath. “Every time, Carm. I’d do it every time.”

At that, Carmilla ducked her head, her emotions threatening to overcome her. She took one of Laura’s hands, holding it between hers as she tried to gain some control over herself. “So your little meltdown-”

“An act.” Laura shrugged modestly. “Well, not really an act – it was _horrible_ seeing you like that. But Keller had to think I wasn’t a threat.”

“And your dad?”

“In on it, of course. I have to say, he’s a better actor than I give him credit for.”

Carmilla let out a small laugh at that. “Let’s just say it wasn’t too much of a stretch to believe that he’d want me dead.”

Laura ducked her head to meet Carmilla’s eyes, saying earnestly, “Carm, no. He- as soon as he knew the truth he was determined to help. Mattie too.”

Carmilla held Laura’s gaze for a moment. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

The two stared at each other for a moment, content to soak the sight of the other in. The moment was rudely interrupted by LaFontaine’s cleared throat, though, and Laura looked up to see her father approaching. The corners of his mouth turned down when he saw their hands entwined, but didn’t comment further, merely saying, “Miss Karnstein. I’d glad we were able to fix this before it was too late.”

“You and me both,” Carmilla replied wryly as she pulled Laura to her feet.

He cleared his throat, looking around the room. “We should return to the compound. Get you somewhere safe. Too many people still around.”

Laura’s grip on Carmilla’s hand tightened. “I’m not leaving her, Dad.”

“I’m not asking you to, Laura. But I’m sure Miss Karnstein would like to get that collar off and find out just what the hell’s going on…and not to mention, she has to be rather, er, _hungry_ by this point.”

Carmilla merely gave a rueful shrug in response.

Laura, flushing, nodded. “Right! Right- of course. We can take care of all that. Let’s go.” She began to tug Carmilla along.

Hollis rolled his eyes upwards, sending a beseeching look to the heavens before stopping her again. “Laura, while we _will_ talk about this, could you in the meantime _please_ let go of Miss Karnstein’s hand?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more left!


	15. New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now let's get this damn treaty signed before another crisis erupts and blows everything to hell, AGAIN.

“And thus, we are gathered here today to ratify the updated treaty between the hunter houses and vampire clans, approved by every party present.”

A murmur of assent swept through the conference room. William Hollis turned to his right. “Miss Karnstein, if you would do the honors.”

Carmilla nodded silently before rising and approaching the set of formal documents sitting at the head of the table. Picking up the elegant fountain pen, she lifted her head to survey the room before her.

Sitting around the large conference table were the heads of both the hunter houses and vampire clans; together with the vampire and hunters who had managed to squeeze into the room, the cramped space hosted the combined strength of both sides.

Carmilla looked at them all silently for a long moment. Under her attention, several sets of eyes ashamedly flicked away, unable to maintain contact. It wasn’t surprising, she supposed; not many could face her without blinking after all that had happened.

The past week had seen a series of upheavals, as corrupt leaders were deposed and their heirs – after a lengthy investigation to ensure that they hadn’t been involved in their superiors’ plots – installed in their place. Simon Keller, the son and heir of the disgraced head of House Keller, Klaus Keller, looked small and uncomfortable in his seat at the table, clearly overwhelmed by the mountain of duties suddenly placed on his shoulders and the shame of his father’s traitorous actions.

Klaus had only cracked several days ago, finally submitting to the interrogators his motives. He had confessed, in vitriolic terms, his absolute loathing for the treaty, how he considered it and indeed any kind of negotiation with the hunters' sworn, eternal enemy to be akin to treason; his grandfather had been in charge, 80 years ago at the time of the first treaty, but it was his time now, and he would do whatever it took to torpedo the bill. And so, ironically, that determination ultimately led him to making a deal with the devil: approaching Clan Ascancia, the clan closest to his house, and proposing a deal. Ascancia, always looking for opportunities to gain an edge among the other clans and eager to see Karnstein fall as well, was only too happy to acquiesce. 

He had been pulled from power within the hour. And now it was young Simon in his seat, responsible for the fate of his house.

Carmilla would’ve sympathized – she knew what it was like to suddenly be responsible for a multitude of crises, while also being reviled by proxy – but considering the majority of Klaus’ actions had targeted _her_ , her compassion was in rather short supply. 

The new leader of Clan Ascancia, on the other hand, looked more or less neutral, or at least not visibly uncomfortable; vampires lived for many centuries, after all, and Carmilla supposed that she had seen more than a few conspiracies in her time. Even now, she met Carmilla’s gaze calmly, though Carmilla was gratified to see her shoulders tense minutely under the close inspection.

Standing behind Carmilla’s empty chair was Mattie, who winked at her, impish and apparently carefree as ever. Her sister had been an enormous aid the past week, smoothing over every internal crisis that arose and letting Carmilla focus entirely on getting the treaty back in action. Perhaps even more importantly, she’d served as an invaluable drinking buddy for when the stress got to be too much, which was often; Carmilla half thought that if Mattie had been there for the entire previous six months it would never have gotten as bad as it had. But no point dwelling on what couldn’t be helped. Her mother was finally put to rest, and Carmilla wasn't looking back.

Before she bowed her head back over the papers, she caught Laura’s eyes; the girl was standing behind her father’s chair, hands clasped behind her back, doing her best to look appropriately grave. At Carmilla’s attention, though, she let a smile crack through her serious expression, pride fairly radiating from her.

Carmilla forced her responding smile back – making eyes at the heir to House Hollis in front of literally every head of the joint houses and clans didn’t rank very highly as a Smart Thing to Do – but she was sure her features softened just the same.

Then, she uncapped the pen and signed her name in a careful, elaborate script. There. Six months, endless negotiations, traitorous vampires, mind control, and a murder later, the treaty was ratified.

A sudden outbreak of applause cut through her introspection, and she looked up to see a number of the hunter and clan leaders nodding at her approvingly as they clapped. She ducked her head again as she walked back to her seat; as much as she done this for the betterment of them all, and though it had hardly been possible in the last few months, she still preferred staying out of the spotlight whenever possible -- more freedom to do whatever she wanted, that way.

The next hour passed in much the same manner, as each leader rose to sign the new treaty. Some would call the ceremony rather small and simple, especially when compared to the elaborate and large would-be execution that had taken place in the Hollis’ Judgment Hall just last week, but Carmilla knew the simplicity was very much by design.

The betrayals on both sides had very much shaken the confidence of many, and she and William Hollis, with the support of a few others, had agreed that sacrificing ceremony for speed was in everyone’s interests; not to mention, it seemed in rather bad taste to host an elaborate, celebratory affair, when, at the end of the day, Sarah Jane Koenig was still dead, with the blood – possession or not – on Carmilla’s hands. Hans Koenig still couldn’t look at her.

Finally, the last designated leader had made his mark, and after another smattering of applause the signatories and their retinues began to filter out, heading for the small luncheon hosted jointly by House Hollis and Clan Karnstein, the only event that would be taking place to mark the momentous occasion.

Carmilla stood, stretching rather leisurely in a bid to ease the tension in her shoulders. Though her mental state wasn’t nearly as tattered as it’d been during the worst of Ascancia’s possession (looking back, it was hard to believe she’d been able to delude herself into thinking that the extreme headaches, the nightmares, the lost time could be chalked up to mere exhaustion and stress), it was still taxing to muster up the focus she’d had to employ in the last week and today. The day when she could just spend all day in bed, or with Laura (or _both_ , a hopeful part of her brain supplied) couldn’t come soon enough.

“Miss Karnstein? May I have a word?”

She turned, dropping her arms, to see none other than Hans Koenig standing there, his heir Leo at his side. Carmilla stared for a moment in sheer surprise before finding her voice.

“Mr. Koenig, er, yes- of course.”

He hesitated, apparently trying to find the words for whatever it was he wanted to say. Carmilla’s dread only grew as the silence stretched on. It had been almost two weeks since she had- since SJ had _died_ , and this was the first time Koenig had addressed her directly. Oh, god, what was she supposed to say? What _could_ she say? How could one ever hope to atone for the death of a beloved child? He was here to swear eternal hatred, she was certain. Or a blood vendetta between their respective groups. Or-

“I won’t lie to you, Miss Karnstein. It is very hard for me to be in the same room as you."

Blood vendetta for sure. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, to dissuade him from this perfectly justified path, but he held up a forestalling hand and continued.

“But I know that, ultimately, you were a mere tool for what happened to my Sarah Jane. I…” He took a breath. “I will not pursue further action against you or your clan.”

She gaped at him for a full five seconds, completely taken aback. Hans Koenig was, it seemed, a better person than most. A better person than her, for sure.

“I…” she cleared her throat, tried again. “Mr. Koenig. I…that is…thank you. And…for what it’s worth…I’m sorry. For everything.”

He nodded stiffly. An awkward silence followed, and they both turned thankfully at the sound of approaching footsteps. It was Laura, a look of cautious optimism on her face at the sight of the two of them. “Mr. Koenig! And Car- er, _Miss Karnstein_. Hi.”

Carmilla could only nod at her, too awkwarded out by the surreal situation they found themselves in to even attempt an approximation of normal.

“Hello, Laura,” Hans greeted her, looking relieved to be back on familiar ground. “It truly is a momentous day, no?”

“Yes,” she agreed, smiling. The smile faded just as quickly as it had come, however, and she said, her voice solemn, “But…Mr. Koenig…I’ll never forget what we lost in the process.”

His forced cheer slipped, and he merely nodded, too choked up to reply. Leo, who had been standing silently, stepped up. “We won’t either, Laura. And I want you to know that you’re welcome at House Koenig any time. I know Sarah Jane was dear to you.”

Laura smiled tremulously; Carmilla, who had been watching the scene unfold with growing misery, wished fervently that she could disappear (well, she _could_ , but it would hardly be polite). “Thanks, Leo. I’ll never forget her.”

“Neither shall we.” He nodded at her, then again – much more stiffly – to Carmilla, before ushering his father away, the two soon disappearing out the doors.

Carmilla let out a breath. That, she knew, would never get any easier to deal with, or the weight of guilt she carried any easier to bear. And perhaps that was just what she deserved.

“It’ll get easier eventually, you know.”

She looked up sharply to see Laura studying her. God, how did she always do that? Know exactly what she was thinking about? It was uncanny.

“Oh, please. It’s written all over your face. You’re self-flagellating again.”

“I’m not _self-flagellating_ , I’m just…regretting.” She let out a rueful laugh. “When you get to my age, the list of things that warrant it is quite long.”

“Oh, please, you’re hardly _ancient_.” Carmilla raised her eyebrows, and Laura conceded, “Okay, you’re kind of old…” she broke into a grin at Carmilla’s unimpressed expression, but quickly sobered. “But seriously. Carm…you weren’t responsible for this. The…the _assholes_ who are are behind bars.”

“So was I, not too long ago.” She sighed at Laura’s beseeching face. “Okay, I hear you…but anyway. I think we have a luncheon to go to, hmm, _Miss Hollis_? Wouldn’t do for the two of us not to show.”

Laura made a face. “Please don’t call me that. You sound like my dad.”

“And that, I suppose, is a bad thing?”

The two turned to see William Hollis himself standing before them, arms crossed and wearing an expression of restrained amusement.

“Dad!” Laura, apparently acting purely on instinct, sprang apart from Carmilla, before realizing what she’d done, and just as quickly stepping defiantly back.

Hollis raised his eyebrows. “Are you quite well, sweetheart? You seem…fidgety.”

“Great. I’m great.” She took another step to Carmilla, who was beginning to feel a tad uncomfortable. “ _We’re_ great."

He sighed. “I can see that.”

Carmilla smiled weakly. “Hi, Mr. Hollis.”

“Miss Karnstein. You did well today.”

“Uh…thanks.” Oh, for god’s sake. Would this awkwardness that descended on her every time she interacted with the man ever cease? It was behavior truly unbecoming of a mature, centuries-old vampire such as herself, god dammit.

There was a pause, Laura looking anxiously between them, before Hollis cleared his throat. “Right. Well. I trust the two of you are heading to the luncheon now, yes?”

Carmilla was opening her mouth to confirm when Laura suddenly interjected. “Actually, Dad, um, we were thinking of skipping out."

Carmilla stared. “We were?”

Laura smiled brightly. “Yep!”

“Skipping out…? The two of you? Together?” Hollis was open-mouthed in confusion and probably, Carmilla thought, dismay.

Laura reached down and clasped Carmilla’s hand. “That’s the plan.”

“But…the luncheon. I’ll be representing our house, Laura, but who will represent Clan Karnstein?”

“I wouldn’t mind standing in.”

The three of them looked up to see Mattie approaching, a mischievous look about her. Of course, Carmilla thought, her heart sinking. Her sister had been suspiciously absent after the ceremony, no doubt just waiting for the right time to make her entrance. She’d always had a flair for the dramatic, and the conversation hadn’t been awkward enough. Clearly.

“You, Ms. Belmonde?” Hollis asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Well yes, who else?” Mattie replied breezily, looking around the three of them. “But look at this. The four of us here, together…how completely _precious_.”

“Er…quite,” Hollis said, looking uncomfortable.

Mattie smiled serenely at him for a moment before turning to Carmilla. “But anyway, how about it, sis? I’ll gladly make the rounds for you so that you two can…be _alone_.”

Hollis choked. Carmilla glared at Mattie, whose serene smile didn’t budge, though Carmilla swore she saw a flicker of unholy amusement in her sister’s eyes. Damn her, she _would_ enjoy this, the sadist.

“Well, now – I don’t know about that,” he said, his voice strained as he finally recovered. “Perhaps not the best idea-”

“Oh come now, Mr. Hollis,” Mattie smoothly interjected. “I was just teasing, of course. Let the two of them go. It’ll be fine. The hard part’s over.”

“Oh, I don’t know-”

“And after all,” she said, continuing as if he hadn’t spoken. “I daresay they deserve it, don’t you? After all my poor sister’s been through?”

At that, Hollis looked sharply at her, clearly reading the implicit meaning in her words. After a moment, he tipped his head, a fencer acknowledging his opponent’s victory. “I suppose there’s no harm.” He turned to look at Carmilla. “After all, the two know perfectly well what is appropriate. For ladies of their station.”

“I’m certain they do.”

He sighed. “Well then, it seems I’ve been outnumbered. Go, you two. Laura, I’ll see you at the compound tonight.”

Laura straightened, catching his meaning. “Uh, yup, of course!”

He looked between the two of them. “And for heaven’s sake, just…be circumspect, will you?”

They nodded vigorously.

“Excellent.” He turned to Mattie, and then, after a moment’s consideration, extended his arm. “Shall we, Ms. Belmonde?”

She took it, saying gaily, “After you, Mr. Hollis.”

The two set off, Mattie looking back at the two of them and winking. They watched, open mouthed. Then, Laura found her voice. “Did your sister just…be our wingman?”

“…That’s what appears to be happening,” Carmilla said, equally stunned.

“Uh…wow.” Laura took a breath before squaring her shoulders. “Then I guess that means we shouldn’t waste it. C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

Carmilla blinked. “Where do-”

She was cut off; Laura had suddenly gotten in the way of her ability to speak. But, she reflected as she reached up to hold Laura’s face in her hands, she found she didn’t really mind.

Laura parted from her, face flushed a pleasing shade of pink. “Sorry, I just realized it’s been ages, and we’re _finally_ alone, and-”

It was her turn to be interrupted as Carmilla, having been reminded of what she’d been missing, leaned in and kissed her again. Laura, her hands coming up of their accord to wind into Carmilla’s hair as she sank into the embrace, decided she was completely in support.

Some minutes later, they parted, finally determining that essentially making out in a public conference room at the heart of the Hollis compound wasn’t the best idea; Laura also expressed the thought that they shouldn’t spend the entirety of their precious time together just like this, while Carmilla thought it was, in fact, an _excellent_ way to spend their time (that same hopeful part of her brain heartily concurred).

But then Laura had admitted, shyly, that she just wanted to go out in public and be together without worrying about it or spending the whole time doused in paranoia, and Carmilla had fairly melted. So off they went, content, for once, in the knowledge that the entirety of their world was currently downing blood mimosas and eating the best the Hollis dining team had to offer.

They headed, perhaps predictably, to their favorite spot: the wooded lawns of Woodrow Park, where they had first truly talked. When they arrived, they found the park as sun-filled, serene, and calm as ever, filled with people who didn’t know who they were and couldn’t care less.

They walked, hand-in-hand, down the neat paths, talking of nothing in particular, reveling in their anonymity and happy to pretend that neither of them had anything more serious to consider than what to do over the weekend.

Reality could be kept at bay for only so long, though, and Laura finally turned to Carmilla, and said, her voice expectant, “Now what?”

“What do you mean?”

Laura let out a sheepish laugh. “It’s stupid. But we’ve always been running from one thing to the next. First…the thing with your mom, then the negotiations…then all of _this_ , and now…the treaty’s signed. We won. So what comes next?”

Carmilla smiled. “Are you trying to tell me you’ve become an adrenalin addict, Hollis?”

Laura ducked her head, laughing. “It sounds horrible when you put it that way.”

Carmilla nudged her before relenting. “No, I know what you mean…it’s been a crazy year. Personally, I will be completely okay if the next one is boring. Bring it on.

As for what comes next?” She shrugged. “Life goes on. Go to meetings, deal with the ridiculous crises our respective underlings bring our way, read good books, find new music, travel when we can. You know, live.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Laura said wonderingly. “I’ve spent my entire life preparing for…something. A battle, or an attack, or an assassination. It kinda feels like the rug has been swept out from under me.”

“That’s just who you are,” Carmilla said. “You’re a born fixer. I’ve never met anyone so eager to face any situation, no matter how hopeless, head-on.” She smiled. “It’s what I like about you.”

Laura smiled, leaning up to give her a kiss on the cheek, before Carmilla continued. “But, to be honest, cupcake, our world is never going to be easy, or straight-forward. Something will always come along.”

“Yeah…” Laura paused for a second, before saying, “And what about us?”

A jolt of nerves hit Carmilla, but she masked it, saying easily, “Us?”

“Yeah. It’s just,” Laura looked down awkwardly, “I know there hasn’t really been time or really even the right circumstances to figure this out…but Carm, what are we gonna do? We can’t just hang out in private – or whenever my dad will let us – forever, you know.”

Carmilla sighed. “I do know. Really. But things have just died down, Laura. And your dad seems to finally be coming around…so, I don’t know, I think we should just take it easy, slowly introduce people to the idea. We may have a ratified treaty, but attitudes don’t change quite as quickly.”

Laura nodded, looking resigned. “No, you’re right…I just get so impatient. Do we just tell one person a year til the end of time? Or-” The thought that had been playing at the back of Carmilla’s mind finally occurred to her. “Or until I hit fifty, and look old enough to be your mother, and no one will care?”

Carmilla looked at her, torn. “Laura…”

Laura sighed frustratedly. “This isn’t your fault. I just, I- it’s a lot to think about it.”

“Take all the time you need, cupcake.”

They strolled in silence for a moment more before Laura abruptly stiffened. Carmilla frowned. “Laura?”

Laura just stared at something in the distance. “Well, now there’s one less person we need to tell.”

Carmilla followed her gaze to see – to her vast irritation – none other than that dimwitted hunter, Wilson Kirsch, sitting on a bench a ways from them. And, judging from his shocked expression, he had clearly seen them. “Excellent.”

“No point running…” They closed the distance between them, and Laura wasted no time getting to business. “Hey, Kirsch.”

“Hunter hot- _Laura_. Carmilla. What’s up, ladies?” he said, all forced cheer.

They stared at him flatly, and he quickly deflated, holding up his hands. “Okay, yeah, I saw you two – but let’s be real, I kinda already had a feeling, you know? Laura was wayyy stressed this whole time, and also back when C-money was in that coffin. And, like, I’m cool with it, okay? Hollis is a bro, and y’all are cool.”

Carmilla stared at him. “C-money?”

He nodded eagerly. “Totally cool, and totally fits you, right?!”

Laura let out a snicker before clapping a hand over her mouth; Carmilla shot her a dirty look. “Yeah, whatever, Kirsch. The only real question I have is: can you keep your mouth shut?”

“Oh yeah, totally. I am, like, the soul of discretion,” he said solemnly.

“…Right. What are you doing here anyway? Why aren’t you at the luncheon?” Laura asked.

Kirsch looked down, the enthusiasm draining from him. “Wasn’t really feelin’ it, you know?”

Laura studied him for the first time, and noticed how wrinkled his clothes were. His scruff was shaggier than usual, and most telling of all were the red circles around his eyes. “Kirsch…you okay?”

He shrugged, eyes downcast. “Naw…not really. Just been feelin’ really bad about SJ. She was a really nice girl.”

A surge of empathy and sorrow hit Laura; she had forgotten how close Kirsch and SJ had gotten, and in the chaos had completely forgotten how torn up he was bound to be. A glance at Carmilla confirmed the girl was feeling similarly, though with a healthy dose of guilt added in as well. “I’m so sorry, Kirsch. I know you two were close.”

“Yeah…I’m gonna miss her a lot.”

Her eyes burned. “Me too.”

They stood there in silence for a moment, before Carmilla said, “So what made you come here?”

“Oh…” he reached under the bench and pulled out a rather sad bouquet of carnations. “I was on my way to her…her grave. It’s pretty close by.” He shrugged, looking mournful. “Couldn’t make myself go, though. Got too sad.”

“We’ll go with you,” Laura said resolutely. Carmilla, after a tortured pause, nodded her agreement.

He brightened immediately. “Woah, really?”

Laura nodded. “Of course. I want to pay my respects, too. And tell her we got her justice.” She squeezed Carmilla’s hand.

Kirsch surged to his feet. “Yo, you’re a bro, Hollis. You too, C-money. Let’s go!” He immediately set off, carnations held surprisingly tenderly in one large hand.

Laura watched him go before turning to Carmilla. “Hey…you don’t have to come. I understand if you’d rather not.”

Carmilla shook her head. “No…I want to. I want to tell her…I’m sorry.”

Laura squeezed her hand once more. “Whatever you wanna do.”

Carmilla leaned in, kissing her briefly before pulling away. “I’m with you, so I’m good.”

“Yo, ladies! Keep up!”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “And apparently I’m with a member of the dimwit squad as well, so less good, but still okay.”

Laura laughed before setting off. Carmilla, letting herself be tugged along, reflected on how things always seemed to start and end here. That first conversation they’d had, the beginning of the conference…and now them, here, all at the park. At least things were looking up, though.

They’d finally, _finally_ , put the ghost of Morgan to rest, once and for all, and driven a new treaty through in the process. She could finally assume true control of her clan, now that she’d secured her place among the others, and with Mattie back, could begin to make real change, within her clan and between it and the houses. The treaty was an excellent start, and, together with Laura, Carmilla let herself think that brighter days awaited.

As for the two of them…this time six months ago, Carmilla had never thought William Hollis would come around, that they’d have to skulk around for the rest of his life. But he had, or was in the process of it, and the change maybe – just maybe – signaled a sea change for the rest of House Hollis. If the battle-hardened, steely-eyed leader of the house could learn to think in new ways, who was to say the rest of them couldn’t too?

Laura looked back at her, a smile playing on her lips. “Think we’ll get back before my dad has a heart attack?"

She smirked. “Maybe, cupcake.” She pulled Laura back so that they walked in tandem, slinging an arm around the other girl. “I wouldn’t worry too much, though. As far as I’m concerned…we have all the time in the world.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are, folks. House of Cards is affectionately put to a close.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who followed along, and for your input throughout. I truly appreciate you following me to another work in this series; exploring this universe and seeing what happens has been a wonderful exercise.
> 
> This story was a bit different from Blood & Steel, so I'm eager to hear what you thought of it, both in relation to its prequel and on its own.
> 
> Thank you! Until next time!


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